The Momentum Against DST
Daylight saving time, once a widely accepted tool for energy conservation and productivity, is facing its strongest challenge in over a century. The combination of scientific evidence against it, growing public frustration with clock changes, and legislative action in multiple major jurisdictions suggests that the global DST landscape will look significantly different within the next decade.
Where Abolition Is Most Likely
United States
The Sunshine Protection Act — which would make DST permanent in the U.S. — passed the Senate unanimously in 2022 and has broad bipartisan support. Medical groups have lobbied for permanent standard time instead, but permanent DST has more popular appeal. The most likely outcome in the U.S. is the eventual elimination of clock changes, most probably via permanent DST, though permanent standard time remains the health-preferred outcome.
European Union
The EU voted to end mandatory DST in 2019 and committed to allow member states to choose their permanent time by 2021. Implementation has stalled over coordination concerns. Eventually, the EU is expected to resolve this — most likely with Western European countries (France, Spain, Germany) choosing permanent summer time (CEST year-round) and Eastern European countries choosing permanent standard time (EET year-round).
Global Trend
The overall global trend is clear: DST observance is declining. Fewer than 40% of countries currently observe it, down from peak adoption in the mid-20th century. The trend will likely continue as more countries follow Russia's, Brazil's, and Mexico's examples of abolition.
What Would the World Look Like Without DST?
If major DST-observing regions (the U.S. and EU) eliminate the practice, the global time zone landscape would simplify considerably:
- International scheduling would become more predictable with fixed, year-round time differences.
- Software and IoT systems would no longer need to handle biannual transitions.
- Health outcomes related to transition disruption would improve.
- Aviation, finance, and logistics scheduling would simplify.
The Standard Time vs. Summer Time Divide
One complication is that the U.S. and EU may choose different permanent times. If the U.S. chooses permanent DST (UTC−4 for Eastern Time year-round) and the EU chooses permanent standard time (UTC+1 for Central European Time year-round), the transatlantic time difference would be fixed at 5 hours — versus the current 5 or 6 hours depending on the season. This would be more predictable, though it might reduce alignment with solar time in one or both regions.
The Scientific Recommendation
The scientific and medical consensus is unambiguous: if clock changes are to be abolished, permanent standard time is the healthier choice. Humans evolved under solar-aligned time, and chronic misalignment with the sun — as permanent DST creates in winter — carries demonstrable health costs. The debate is ultimately one of cultural preference (evening light) versus biological need (solar-aligned morning light). Increasingly, the evidence suggests biology should win.