What are the Pros & Cons of the Sunshine Protection Act Passed by the US Senate?

Reduction in crime, child obesity, and seasonal depression are some of the reasons put forth by supporters of DST.

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The United States Senate on Tuesday, 15 March, passed a law that would, starting next year, make daylight saving time (DST) permanent, ending the pratice of changing clocks that happens twice a year.

Supporters of the move have been pushing for brighter afternoons and more economic activity during the day.

Called the Sunshine Protection Act, the Senate approved it unanimously by a voice vote.

The House of Representatives has to first pass the bill before it reaches the president's table for his signature.

What Exactly is the Sunshine Protection Act?

Several countries across the world have followed the practice of turning their clocks forward and backward at specific points during the year.

In the US, this happens between the spring and the fall. In March, the clock moves one hour forward, while in November, it goes back one hour.

In simple words, throughout spring and summer, people get one extra hour of daylight everyday, hence daylight saving time.

The bill that was first proposed in the Texas legislature in 2019 aims to make DST permanent.

The idea originated in the 1800s with a simple goal - to use more hours of sunlight during the day.

During the summer, since the sun rose early and set later, the availaibility of sunrays was more throughout the day.

People rising early for work would still miss out on some valuable hours of sunshine, and it was therefore decided that it would be better to take an hour in the mornings and compensate for it by deleting an hour in the evenings.

All of US (except Arizona and Hawaii), all European Union countries, and many European non-EU members follow DST.

Countries like Iran, Argentina, Paraguay, Cuba, Haiti, and parts of Australia follow it too.

Advantages 

Marco Rubio, a senator from Florida, who is one of the main sponsors of the bill, has stated that the benefits of a permanent DST have been articulated in scientific research.

"For example, reduced crime as there's light later in the day. We've seen decreases in child obesity. A decrease in seasonal depression that many feel during standard time," he said, as quoted by Reuters.

Others have said that the risks of heart issues and strokes reduce during daytime.

Then there's the economic argument. Industries dealing with retail and hospitality would get more engagement, thereby fueling the economy.

The argument is that more daylight would give consumers more time to spend their money.

Another commonly cited reason in support of DST is that it saves energy, that is, if the sun sets one hour later, then that leads to a reduction in requirements regarding electricity in households, along with other energy sources.

Disadvantages

The counterargument is that setting a permanent DST leads to a loss of sleep.

Scientists studying sleep claim that the practice of standard time is linked to the sun's progression, that is, bright mornings help people in waking up, while dark nights trigger sleep due to melatonin.

Interfering with those natural processes hamper human health, experts say.

"Daylight saving time, in terms of the medical and health consequences, is the worst choice," Joseph Takahashi of the O'Donnell Brain Institute at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center told the New York Times.

"It leaves us permanently out of sync with the natural environment", he added.

Others argue that setting a permanent DST could lead to serious health problems as a result of the disruption of a human's circadian rhythm, commonly known as the "body clock".

Although the legislation has been passed by the Senate, the White House has not yet commented on whether President Biden supports the proposition or not.

A spokesperson for House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said that she was reviewing it closely.

(With inputs from Reuters, The Dallas Times, the New York Times, and DailyO.)