Daylight Saving Time 2025: With the spring season around, Daylight Saving Time (DST) will officially start in countries around the world. It is the practice of advancing clocks during summer months so that evening light lasts longer. For DST, clocks are generally moved back an hour during autumn while the opposite happens in spring when clocks are moved an hour forward.

When are clocks moving forward in the US and Europe?

DST will take effect in North America on Sunday (March 9) when clocks will be moved forward an hour at 2 AM local standard time — meaning at 2 AM that night, the clocks will read 3 AM local daylight time. Meanwhile, in most of Europe, DST will kick into effect on March 30.

History of Daylight Saving Time

DST and its history can be traced back almost 200 years ago but it wasn’t until the First World War that the idea was taken seriously. Benjamin Franklin came up with the idea in the 18th century when he noted that waking up earlier allowed him to save on energy costs.

DST’s first major adoption occurred during World War I as a way to conserve fuel. Germany established DST in May 1916 with the rest of Europe following suit shortly. In 1918, the US also adopted DST.

Deemed unpopular at the time in the US, DST was repealed after the war but revived during World War II. DST was made permanent in 1966 with the passage of the Uniform Time Act, though states were allowed to opt-out.

While most regions in the US will jump forward by an hour, the likes of Hawaii, most of Arizona, the Navajo Nation, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico, and the US Virgin Islands, will not spring forward.

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Criticism of Daylight Saving Time

One of the major criticisms of DST is that it can be costly due to its impact on energy consumption, health, and productivity. though initially intended to save energy, the longer daylight hours often lead to increased cooling costs. The time change also disrupts sleep, contributing to health problems, productivity losses, and operational inefficiencies in sectors like transportation and technology.

US President Donald Trump has hinted that he would end the “inconvenient” custom of moving clocks forward every spring as it was imposing an unnecessary financial burden on Americans.

“The Republican Party will use its best efforts to eliminate Daylight Saving Time, which has a small but strong constituency, but shouldn’t! Daylight Saving Time (DST) is inconvenient, and very costly to our Nation,” Mr Trump wrote on Truth Social last year.