It was this explicit request to write an article the following week on the most important issue in the world. Some would think of climate change or the global economy at this point, but no! Twice a year, species extinction and child poverty are replaced by the hot topic in Germany and Austria: the time change.

From a journalistic perspective, the time change is phenomenal for being able to see the various creative outpourings of colleagues up close. Headlines like: “Changing the time kills our bioorganism!” or “Changing the time leads to more traffic deaths!” brings the apocalypse back to life right in the allotment garden on our doorstep.

The time change was first introduced in 1916 during the First World War to support the energy-intensive time battles and to save energy in the dark evening hours. The German Empire and Austria-Hungary set an inglorious example, and the European war opponents followed shortly afterwards.

So what does this change mean?

The difference between summer and winter time is due to the fact that our time system stipulates that 12 noon is the time of the highest position of the sun. Our planet is divided into different meridians and degrees. The geographical difference in longitude of one degree corresponds to a time difference of four minutes. In order to prevent too many parallel time systems, it was decided at the international meridian conference in 1884 to introduce the global system of 24 time zones, with an east-west extension of 15 degrees of longitude.

The time change is bringing strange blossoms all over the world, whether the ex-president of Venezuela had the particularly creative idea of ​​limiting the change to 30 minutes, based on the motto “Death to America” or Egypt set the time change for midsummer Breaking the fast in Ramadan at an earlier hour is a topic that is making headlines around the world ( here ).

What is behind the time hysteria?

If you follow the articles in some prominent newspapers, the time change is one thing above all: an immediate death sentence! The rate of strokes is increased, depression can be the result, traffic accidents are increasing, more and more descendants of August Wöginger are voting for the Green Party out of desperation, civil chaos is overtaking us!

However, the EU, as the savior of the poor and weak, has already clearly recognized the problem and agreed to abolish the time change. In order to make things easier for all those nostalgic for the time change, the measure was incomprehensibly scheduled for the end of 2021, efficiency according to the European recipe.

So what knowledge remains after the time change is abolished?

We have learned from a reliable source that journalists in particular will suffer from the abolition of the time change, as two annual fixed points that fill entire front pages will simply be eliminated without replacement and panic will spread across the board that they will have to deal with real content instead.

In addition, communities and cities are happy about the unexpected windfall that the elimination will bring them.
The tabloid oe24 , for example, estimated the value of the time change for Austria at 700 million euros. Exactly how this value comes about is a matter of pure speculation, but a lot could be achieved with 700 million euros.

Also not included are the savings from the psychological crisis service for watchmakers at risk of burnout, which can be unreliably estimated at 1000 euros.

But let us now enjoy the last years of justified popular hysteria together, let us walk through the city park one last time and listen to the graceful grumbling of pensioners about the time change and let us lie in bed for the last time on Sunday morning and turn on our side with pleasure, knowing full well , that we can sleep an hour more and are happy about the existence of the biggest first world problem since the realization that the range of the average WLAN router does not extend into the bedroom.

More Greenkama content here !

Author: Alexander Herberstein, article image from New Africa / Shutterstock.com


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Notes:
1) This content reflects the current state of affairs at the time of publication. The reproduction of individual images, screenshots, embeds or video sequences serves to discuss the topic. 2) Individual contributions were created through the use of machine assistance and were carefully checked by the Mimikama editorial team before publication. ( Reason )