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Daylight Saving Time Change: In North America, DST begins today – effects on the time difference with Austria and the EU.
While Austria and the rest of the EU still have about three weeks to go, some parts of the world are already adjusting their clocks.
In North America, Daylight Saving Time begins this weekend: during the night from today (March 8) to Sunday, March 9, the United States and Canada will set their clocks forward by one hour. Most of Mexico follows the same schedule.
For people in Austria, the impact is only temporary. Anyone traveling to the U.S. or Canada in the coming days, or working with partners there, needs to keep the new time difference in mind. The time difference to New York will temporarily shrink from six hours to five, and to Los Angeles from nine hours to eight. Once Europe switches to summer time as well, the usual difference returns.
The idea of changing the clocks goes back a long way: in 1907, British builder William Willett first proposed moving clocks forward in summer to make better use of daylight in the evenings. The concept was introduced during World War I. Austria first adopted the change in 1916 to save energy, and other European countries soon followed.
To this day, Europe adjusts its clocks twice a year – even though the debate about ending the practice has been ongoing for years. In 2018, the European Commission proposed that member states choose permanently between summer time and standard time.
Former Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker later said: “I’m still proud that I proposed it – and sad that the member states didn’t implement it.” A unified decision among EU countries is still pending.
Outside Europe, several countries have already abolished the time change. Russia ended it in 2014, Belarus in 2011. Turkey has been on permanent summer time since 2016.
- Hector Pascua with reports from heute.at/picture: pixabay.com
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