Lighter Later campaign to shift the clocks forwards giving us an extra hour of daylight in the evenings - What do you think?

[JustineMumsnet]

What do we think of this campaign to move the clocks forward by an hour all year round?

10:10 LAUNCHES "LIGHTER LATER" CAMPAIGN

On the day of the spring clock change 10:10 is launching the Lighter Later campaign to brighten the nation's days, simply by changing the clocks so we are awake when the sun is out.

10:10 is proposing we shift our clocks to give us one extra hour of daylight in the evenings, all year round. In other words, the UK would shift to GMT+1 in the winter and GMT+2 in spring/summer.

If this was implemented the entire country would, overnight, be one step closer to a 10% reduction in its carbon emissions, as well as happier, healthier and better off. This is a great example of how action on climate change need not be negative, long-term or overly complicated, but rather simple, common-sensical and with multiple benefits.

Franny Armstrong, 10:10 founder and director of the climate change blockbuster The Age Of Stupid said

"Hands up who doesn't want our country to be safer, lighter, more prosperous and with less pollution? And who doesn't want to save money on their electricity bills without lifting a finger?"

This simple change would save almost half-a-million tonnes of CO2 each year1. That's equivalent to taking 185,000 cars off the road permanently.

But, as with so many of the simple behavioural changes 10:10 is recommending to people and organisations, this policy initiative has many benefits beyond the environment.

• Road Safety This policy could save over 100 fatalities on the nation's roads each year.

• Energy bills Consumers and businesses would use less energy thus saving money!

• Tourism & jobs It is estimated that, as a result of the measures proposed by the Lighter Later campaign, 60,000-80,000 jobs will be created through increased leisure & tourism, bringing an extra £2.5-3.5 billion into the economy each year.

• Prevent accidents. More daylight could prevent an estimated 1,000 serious injuries every year.

• Crime Lighter evening would reduce crime and fear of crime.

• Health. More daylight means more time for sports and outdoor activities.

These knock-on benefits mean that lighter evenings are now a more attractive prospect than ever. And people have finally started to take notice. From tourism trade bodies to road safety campaigners, and from sporting organisations to serving Government ministers, a new movement for lighter evenings is growing day by day.

10:10 is calling on individuals, businesses and organisations alike to add their voices to the call for lighter evenings all year round by visiting www.lighterlater.org

Article about it here.

oh su was joking. she's plummy but a jock at heart.

I really really DON'T think this is a good idea. We lose an hour of light in the morning for the one we gain in the evening.
Children come home from school between 2.30 pm and 3.30 pm, so are much less affected by evening than morning darkness as they are going to scool. When this was done before accidents in the morning INCREASED!
Where is the sense in this? We have a fair compromise NOW!

This idea is horse shit.

If you want to know why - buy an atlas.

I keep coming back to this 'cos it annoys me that people still think it's a good idea. It's rubbish, not going to magic up a couple of extra hours of daylight, and no one could be arsed to do it anyway. Do lightbulbs use up less energy if you switch them on in the morning than if they are on at night? I mean, fgs let it drop!

You can't conjure up extra daylight by changing the clocks. It's been done before, didn't work. I don't think the benefits to the South of England are enough to outweigh the huge disbenefit to the North of England and Scotland.

A lot of the world go to school in the dark. And a lot of the world go to school earlier [and come home earlier]

This is "double summer time" isn't it? so I'm with everyone who has said it has been tried and it wasn't a success.I still have a gloomy memory of dark and cold from the last time.I was going to say "and there were more accidents" but have just searched and found this:

"Analysis of accident data during the experiment indicated that while there had been an increase in casualties in the morning, there had been a substantially greater decrease in casualties in the evening, with a total of around 2,500 fewer people killed and seriously injured during the first two winters of the experiment."

I still think it would be awful for people in the north,and anyone starting work outside early though - it wasn't nice as a child in the south! I don't remember lighter evenings at all,but I do remember the dark mornings!

I am for it, especially not having to change the clocks twice a year, I resent having to get used to the time changing and would quite happily swap darker mornings for more light in the afternoon. I live in Scotland, walking home from school is quite scary, and that is between 3.30 and 4 p.m.

Hooray! Someone in Scotland for it!

I lived in the States for a year and we always went to school in the dark. I think as most of Europe starts school at 8 or earlier they travel in the dark - that is my memory of what my sister told me about Germany anyway, sorry if I'm wrong. And presumably whatever problems you face walking to school in the dark you counteract by walking back from school with daylight, no?

I like it! Another vote from a nightowl who doesn't do mornings.
I think the working day should not begin til 10am but realize I am probably in a minority .

I'm all for this idea, I love the few brief weeks when I get home from work and can sit in the garden with the evening sun, this way I'd be able to do that for more of the summer!

And another thing: 'More daylight means more time for sports and outdoor activities.'

OK now honestly - how many of you in favour of it will really be outside doing sport at 4pm on a January afternoon? What a load of cock.

LOL ME probably not. But we would stay in the playground a bit loner. And it will save energy, no? And I think it will give people a bit more freedom in the afternoons.

longer.

I just feel it would be a shame for Greenwich not to use Greenwich Mean Time for at least part of the year. Why should we make these drastic changes when the same could be achieved on a more local level if a council chose to change school hours to 8am - 2pm and workers were given more flexi-time options by enlightened firms. The advantage there would be that it gave people choice and would not seek to impose the same solution on all communities. We have just about reached a situation where the countries in europe change to "summer" or "daylight saving time" on the same dates. Let's not mess.

I thought I should add that I am a bit of a night owl myself and would curse a school that required me to get my child there by 8am - however it is less drastic than forcing a whole country (well the whole UK) to change the clocks.

I have quite a dark house so I have some of the lights on even in summer.

One of the reasons they've mentioned is 'people will be able to go on holiday later in the year'

Changing the clocks isn't going to change the weather. October is still going to be October, December is still going to be December and school terms are still going to be school terms

Perhaps I need to add some context to my 'Scots holding us hostage' comment.

I'm English and was brought up in Scotland. I was an open target for abuse and prejudice from teachers and other pupils alike. Honestly it was horrible being thought of as fair game. It would be racism if we were different races.

Last time my dh went to work in Inverness he came across the same old anti English stuff. It's really horrible, old fashioned bigotry.

So it riles me that the best argument against me getting lighter evenings is that it would piss off the Scots. I can't help it. It's my baggage.

Darkness isn't the only thing keeping us indoors, is it?

This (lame) attempt to have the same hours of light in winter as they do in more tropical climes is bollocks all use unless we get the weather as well.

Just because we live in a Northerly country with a temperate climate does not mean our children should be stuck indoors after school or that our barbecues should be ruined.

Lighter Later campaign is hereby joined by the Drier Longer campaign:

Basically rain is shit, there is no good reason for having it at all. If we install a giant umbrella over the entire British Isles we can make sure no outdoor pursuit is ever marred by rain again.

Farmers will whine on about how they need it for their crops, but we can ignore them because they are just a bunch of useless throwbacks anyway.

Turn on the tap farmers - simples.

If the Irish disagree we'll just invade their country and take over. All the nations of these islands must be subject to the needs of the English to sit out in their gardens more.

This change will be so unbelievably brilliant. Here are some things that it will change:

1. no more wet roads to skid on, so fewer RTAs

1. massive energy savings as people stop using the tumbledryer on rainy days

1. we can finally abolish windscreen wipers

1. the people who make windscreen wipers will all get brilliant new "mac collar" jobs repairing the umbrella and also the lack of rain will automatically mean more jobs doing stuff because there will be more time for doing it

Come on Britain - let us overcome our shitty position on the globe and break free from the shackles of time and place!

Well everyone should stop using tumble driers full stop. Do people really not realise that their children and children's children will not get to have the things we take for granted? No one 'needs' a tumble drier.

And don't really agree about the weather thing. You get plenty of dry days in winter and plenty of rainy days in summer. With more daylight you still get to stay out longer in winter and use less electricity.

Some of skidoodly's suggestions are genius.

But the lighter later campaign just doesn't have my support. There is no way to get 'more daylight' - tis just impossible (without the use of mirrors...)

Spider, I'm English and have lived in Scotland for the best part of 20 years. I've never had any racist abuse. You and your DH have met some bigots - a shame, but no reason to tar a whole country with the same brush. And you really can't use the baggage argument without allowing the Scots their own multitude of baggages against the English, can you?

As regards the campaign - I really don't see why MN should involve themselves with this. It's not a UK wide issue, it's not that much to do with parents and children, and essentially it's a campaign against things being a bit inconvenient. Well, it's a bugger to drive on the right in Europe when we're just not used to it here - should MN campaign for the UK to start driving on the right?

But Hab the Scots as a nation have had centuries to deal with their baggage. I've only had 20 years.

I will continue to work on it but it was hard being English in Aberdeen back in the 70s. Even the teacher thought I was fair game.

Yeah, but poll tax etc also more recent. I'm very fond of my adopted homeland. And my children are Scottish!