In the night between Saturday 25 and Sunday 26 March, summer time will return, with the hands of the clocks moving forward one hour at 2.
This is recalled by the Italian Society of Environmental Medicine (Sima), promoter together with Consumerismo No Profit of an online petition to maintain summer time throughout the year.
Based on Sima's estimates, only in 2023 would the adoption of permanent daylight saving time throughout the year in our country, on the basis of current electricity tariffs, produce direct savings in bills of 382 million euros, thanks to lower energy consumption for about 720 million kWh.
Savings that would increase if electricity tariffs were to increase during the year.
"To all this - it is explained - there would be a massive cut in climate-changing emissions equal to 200,000 tons of CO2 less, equivalent to that absorbed by planting from 2 to 6 million new trees, with benefits for human and planetary health".
"The abandonment of the double annual time change would also stop even the small circadian rhythm disturbances that we experience today in the transition from solar time to summer time and vice versa, with beneficial effects on the health of citizens" - adds the president Sima, Alessandro Miani.
For these reasons, Sima today asks the Meloni Government to commit itself to finally abandoning solar time in Italy by adopting summer time all year round.
A possibility envisaged by the European Union which already in 2019 approved a Directive which leaves broad discretion to the Member States, hoping for coordination between the various nations to avoid repercussions on trade and cross-border movements.
"The serious energy crisis we are experiencing following the outbreak of war in Ukraine since February 2022 and the need to make the best use of the resources available today invites us to reflect again on the international scene - says Sima president, Alessandro Miani - Citizens have been asked for efforts to avoid waste and reduce energy consumption for over a year, but the State must also commit itself by exploiting the possibilities offered by the EU in order to eliminate inconvenience to the population, adopting those tools, such as summer time permanent, which would produce multiple benefits for everyone: families, businesses, the environment and collective health".
Codacons, in favor of making it permanent
- Codacons fully promotes the proposal of the Italian Society of Environmental Medicine (Sima) to adopt permanent daylight saving time as a form of contrast to high energy costs.
"For about 20 years we have been asking to eliminate the transition from summer time to winter time, and based on our surveys, 80% of Italian citizens say they are against the change of the hands of the clock to be performed twice a year - explains the president Carlo Rienzi - The costs relating to the transition from summer to winter time and vice versa are decidedly higher than the benefits: the one-hour delay has consequences both in terms of mood and on a physical level for about 15% of citizens, and produces sleep disturbances in one in two children".
"The transition from summer time to winter time, therefore,
Absoutenti, government makes it permanent by decree
- Assoutenti takes sides in favor of the proposal launched by Sima to adopt permanent daylight saving time in Italy.
"We are fully in favor of maintaining summer time all year round, because it would lead to obvious energy savings at a time when citizens are being asked to reduce energy consumption to deal with the crisis - explains the president Furio Truzzi - At the same time however we ask the Government to extend the discounts on VAT and system charges on electricity and gas which will expire on March 31st".
"In this direction, we ask Prime Minister Meloni for an urgent decree that introduces the
