Changing clocks would reduce carbon emissions

[Still Waters]

Changing the clocks to give another hour of daylight throughout the year would save the same amount of energy as taking 200,000 cars off the road, according to a new survey.

The UK's clocks are currently set to GMT during the winter and GMT+1 in summer. But campaigners want to put the clocks on the same setting as Continental Europe so it is GMT+1 in winter and GMT+2 in the summer.

They argue this would shift an hour of daylight to the evening when more people use the roads and need light for activities like sport or leisure.

A study of electricity consumption by Dr Elizabeth Garnsey at Cambridge University found that it would save half a million tonnes of carbon emissions in the winter alone.

The study, published in Energy Policy, looked at half hourly electricity usage over the winter period and calculated how it was affected by the changing of the clocks in autumn. They then used this information to work out how much energy would be saved if the UK stayed on GMT+1.

“The carbon savings associated with this clock change are significant”, said Dr Garnsey, “Equivalent to the carbon footprint of the production of 1,800 plastic bags for every home in Britain every year, or taking around 200,000 cars off the road every year.”

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[Mr.United_Nations]

Why? That sounds like a communist talk, Chavez changed the time in Venzuela 30 minutes behind USA eastern time.

[The Silver Thong]

Canada and the U.S. already did this I do believe.

[Michelle]

The US hasn't...I hate daylight savings time. In the winter it's dark by six and in the summer it's daylight until after nine. I constantly hear people complain about trying to get their small kids to bed while it's still daylight in the summer.

[stevewinn]

same setting as Continental Europe, see, truth is, its not about saving energy its about dragging us little by little more into europe. there is 1001 ways to save energy.

leave well alone.

[The Silver Thong]

The US hasn't...I hate daylight savings time. In the winter it's dark by six and in the summer it's daylight until after nine. I constantly hear people complain about trying to get their small kids to bed while it's still daylight in the summer.

Ok I was thinking this.

http://www.timetemperature.com/tzus/daylight_saving_time_extended.shtml

[Michelle]

Ok I was thinking this.

http://www.timetemperature.com/tzus/daylight_saving_time_extended.shtml

Yeah, he just delayed it a little.

[Mattshark]

same setting as Continental Europe, see, truth is, its not about saving energy its about dragging us little by little more into europe. there is 1001 ways to save energy.

leave well alone.

Then why have they not asked Portugal to do this or asked Greece to put its clocks back an hour?

[stevewinn]

Then why have they not asked Portugal to do this or asked Greece to put its clocks back an hour?

don't know have you asked them.

[devilmaycare]

Tantamount to saying if we simply payed more attention to the infinite time stretched out before us we would be able to harness more energy (our own). What is time really?

This is right up there with so-called activists who raise money for a cause but in reality there collective energy is an absolute waste propagated by their own ignorance. Tell me? If I give all my money to the church or the cancer foundation or some children's fund, will the world be a better place? NO. If the world was drowning in money it would not change a single solitary thing.

Money can not, nor will not, do itself what people must MUST do for themselves. Just like a single point in time in an infinite field of points in time stretching out in all directions can not be grasped easily and put to good use. Another totally ignorant and unnecessary gesture at best.