Daylight saving time 2025: global impact on energy use and climate change

Daylight saving time 2025: global impact on energy use and climate change

By Shadia Haq Does daylight saving time (DST) save energy or increase consumption? As DST 2025 begins, we examine its global effects on climate change, emissions, and electricity use. A wall clock with a colourful world map design. Photo credit: Monstera Production DST – a hot topic On Sunday, 30 March 2025, many regions will move their clocks forward by one hour for DST. While it was introduced, first in ancient societies then in the industria…

For the expert of the University of Santiago de Compostela, removing this adjustment would be a mistake

The transition to daylight saving time raises questions about its impact on the economy, with most research concluding that imbalances occur in labor productivity, financial markets, and energy consumption.

Established in 1976 in France, and then adopted by all the countries of the European Union in the 1980s, the change of hour was originally decided in order to save energy! Indeed, in 1973 the first oil shock occurred: by ricochet, the prices of oil and fossil fuels rose sharply. To lighten the country's energy bill by allowing it to work longer with sunlight, the then government decided to restore the seasonal change of hour (which had already b…