Argumentative Essay On Daylight Saving

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With its origins rooted in wartime strategies and energy conservation efforts, daylight saving time now stands as a relic of the past, out of sync with the needs and realities of modern society. Daylight saving time is a practice that involves pushing the clock forward by one hour to better use daylight, then reverting it later in the year. It was first introduced in Germany in 1916 during World War I to conserve coal, then Germany’s allies followed suit, while the United States adopted it in 1918. As the sun sets on the debate surrounding daylight saving time, it becomes clear that the costs outweigh the benefits. The abrupt change of time brings about many negative effects; for example, it impacts our mental health, as well as our physical …show more content…

According to data from the U.S. Department of Energy, “...by extending DST by just one month, it could save the country approximately 0.5% of its annual electricity usage, or 1.3 trillion watt-hours in total. That amount could power 100,000 households for a year.” While it's true that daylight saving may lead to short-term reductions in energy consumption, the overall impact on energy usage is small and often overshadowed by increased demand for heating and cooling during the altered hours of daylight. Saving money is a big argument for why we should keep daylight saving, but the positive effects of it are often overstated. A study by the research firm Chmura Economics & Analytics says that “we estimate that Daylight Saving Time costs the U.S. more than $430 million a year”. Enacting and keeping up with daylight saving requires immense investments in efforts, such as public education campaigns, regulatory updates, and organizing with governmental agencies. These costs also include the need for technological changes such as updating software systems, reprogramming devices, and keeping up with international timekeeping standards. The disruptions caused by the time changes can have other effects, including decreased productivity and higher rates of accidents and injuries, resulting in lost revenue and increased healthcare

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