The Barcelona Declaration on Time Policies, signed by 200 organizations and public administrations from around the world in 2022, calls for the end of time change in Europe due to “harmful effects” which, they say, causes health and the economy.
This was stated in a statement by the Time Use Initiative (TUI) this Wednesday, given the time change scheduled for October 27, when European citizens will turn the clock back one hourgoing to winter time.
The Barcelona Declaration on Time Policies is a political declaration that aims to develop actions to “promote the right to time and time policies on the international and urban political agenda.”
One of the 10 commitments included in the updated Declaration plan, supported by 200 organizations and public administrations from around the world, “is to ask the European Council to implement this plan to end time change in Europe in 2026.”
The updated action plan of the Barcelona Declaration on Time Policies will be presented on October 21 in Barcelona, during Time Use Week 2024.
On November 28, a delegation of members of the Network of Local and Regional Governments for Time Policies and the TUI will meet MEPs at the European Parliament in Strasbourg, to ask them to end seasonal time change in the EU in 2026.
This demand is in line with the Tick-tock Europe Manifesto on time policies, launched by the Time Use Initiative in June 2024, which includes 12 necessary changes that Europe needs to make to guarantee the right to time to all European citizens.
They say that a growing body of research has revealed “the detrimental effects of living in misaligned time zones” that extend beyond the energy savings they consider failed, such as increased risks of cancer, diabetes, obesity and metabolic disorders.
Effects
«Studies have also shown negative effects on the performance of workers and students, as well as on overall GDP. Additionally, living in the wrong time zone can cause mental health problems, fatigue, lethargy, and decreased concentration,” they maintain.
Daylight saving time has been linked to an increase in photochemical pollution and greenhouse gas emissions “which compounds its negative environmental impact.”
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