The United States, like other countries, remains on standard time while seeking to stay on daylight saving time. In this way, the country pushes back the clock on the last Sunday of October each year and moves it forward on the first Sunday of April. This measure, which has been implemented since 1996 and consists of moving the clock forward on the first Sunday of April and pushing it back on the last Sunday of October each year, has permanently put an end to daylight saving time, according to the Senate. The next time Mexicans will have to push back their clocks will be on Sunday, October 30, 2022.
In order to not impact commercial exchange, lawmakers supported the proposal sent by the Chamber of Deputies in September, although it includes an exception for the 33 municipalities in the border strip with the United States to maintain daylight saving time, with 59 votes in favor, 25 against, and 12 abstentions.
The argument that using less lights in buildings and houses during the summer and taking advantage of natural sunlight has an energetic viewpoint, was not enough focused on derogating those arguments. Although it has produced negative impacts on the population’s health, it has not fulfilled its objective. The president of the Senate’s Energy commission, Rocío Artiñano Abreu, stated that energy savings represented less than 1% compared to the consumed energies each year in the monotonous session.
This Wednesday, in the early morning, he said, “You have more daylight hours where women and children can be in the park”; furthermore, it reduces violence and crime rates.” Xóchitl Gálvez, senator from the opposing party National Action, mentioned that the verdict goes against what happens in the world in this matter, as internationally it is winter time that is eliminated, as daylight saving time reduces childhood obesity. The debate, which has been ongoing since the beginning of the year, extended for several hours among the senators.
There is no conclusive data on energy savings so far. In 2018, the latest available data before the start of the López Obrador Administration, the savings in electricity consumption was 945 gigawatts, according to the Trust for Electricity Savings (FIDE), the agency says. “This could supply 592,000 homes for a whole year, or power 8.3 million fluorescent lamps for 24 hours for an entire year.”
The application of daylight saving time in the summer of 2006, as indicated by a study from the National Institute of Electricity and Clean Energies, resulted in a reduction of 2.754 million barrels of petroleum consumption for electricity generation and avoided the emission of 1.427 million tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. This reduction is not only important from an environmental perspective but also economically significant, as it represents a substantial savings.
The zero meridian was determined in 1884 by the International Conference of Meridians, according to the agreements made in the national territory and recognized in the different time zones, which indicates that the time for the entire country will come into effect on the upcoming 30th of October, the reform.
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