Iceland review - 2019, Page 71

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Iceland Review
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As authors of the report note: “It is possible that
insufficient sleep may be leading to higher drop-
out rates among Icelandic high-school students.
Research has shown a correlation between circa-
dian misalignment and an increased likelihood of
depression in teenagers and young adults.”
Despite such findings, Icelanders are not con-
vinced that changing the clock will have a positive
impact. In this era of fake news, where opinions and
facts often get confused, the clock debate is worth
a closer look.
A BRIEF HISTORY OF ICELANDIC TIME
The origin of this “issue with the clocks” can be
traced back to 1907 when the Icelandic government
formally adopted Icelandic Mean Time, eliminat-
ing time difference between different parts of the
country. With this legislation, all of Iceland con-
formed to the country's given time zone (UTC-1),
as established by the International Meridian
Conference in Washington D.C. in 1884.As before,
the Icelandic clock corresponded roughly to solar
time; when the sun reached its zenith, the Icelandic
clock struck noon (or ca. 12:30).
In 1917, following in the
footsteps of Germany and
other European countries,
Iceland adopted daylight
saving time, moving the
clocks forward in the
summer and back again in
winter. The reason, as noted in the report, was to
“achieve greater harmony between daylight and
working hours, which in turn was believed to save
energy.”
The Icelandic government exercised its right
to advance the clock in 1917 and 1918, but not
again until 1939, when daylight saving time was
readopted. It remained in continuous effect until
1968, when new legislation was passed in which
Iceland adopted “summer time,” or Greenwich
Mean Time, the whole year round. Under this new
arrangement, noon in Iceland was delayed by an
hour (from 12:30 to 13:30). According to a mem-
orandum that accompanied the legislation, the
twice-yearly moving of the clock was a hassle. It
caused “confusion” in airline schedules; neces-
sitated the “resetting of clocking-in machines;”
“disturbed the sleep habits of individuals, and
especially infants;” and, more importantly,
perhaps, given that darkness was a non-issue
during summer (the sun doesn't set from mid-
June to mid-July) most Icelanders favoured more
sunlight later in the day—as opposed to in the
mornings. But that was 1968.

NEW SCIENCE
As noted in the report that prompted the debate,
new research has emerged suggesting the adverse
health effects of circadian misalignment: “An early
clock means that the sun rises later, which is likely
to distort the information that the body uses to
coordinate physiological processes.” There is even
research suggesting a link between circadian mis-
alignment and cancer.
Addressing the subject online, Professor
Richard G. Stevens at the University of
Connecticut—whose work focuses mainly on the
aetiology of cancer—writes: “One hour in the
course of human activity may not matter much in
the middle of the day, but at the beginning of the
day, when the physiological transition from night
to day should begin, it can make a difference in
circadian alignment. With each such wake-up in
the dark, there comes a small degree of circadian
misalignment and a slight phase advance. Phase
advance is the body thinking it’s sunrise before
the sun has actually risen.” The question many
researchers are studying is whether this small
circadian disruption occurring daily for years or
decades can make diseases like cancer more likely.
When asked about the subject of the Icelandic
clock, Stevens Stevens referred to the issue as a
“wicked problem”. “There is no simple solution that
will satisfy everyone,” he wrote. “I suspect that the
reason Iceland uses UTC-0 instead of UTC-1 is for
business and commerce. This is part of the wicked
problem. How to balance robust commerce with
optimum human health?”
Stevens was right. The Icelandic legislature's
decision to discontinue daylight saving time in 1968
was “mostly commercial,” authors of the report
note. “Being closer to European time was thought
to be beneficial, and so was the concomitant
increase in sunlight during the Icelanders' waking
hours.” But although commercial interests weighed
heavy in 1968—it's the second half of this rationale
that is at issue today.
ON THE OTHER HAND
Most detractors of the clock-moving measure fear
losing precious sunlight during the dark winter
afternoons and evenings. “I believe that the health
of my compatriots will decline considerably if the
clock is moved back,” one Icelander writes. “You are
taking an hour away from individuals who exercise
after work, who play golf, who go for walks, who ride
their bikes, etc.”
Another Icelander, arguing along similar lines,
asserts: “One of the most urgent challenges of our
time is persuading individuals to go outside and
exercise. That's where sports, such as golf and disc
MOST DETRACTORS OF THE
MEASURE FEAR LOSING
PRECIOUS SUNLIGHT
DURING THE DARK WINTER
AFTERNOONS AND EVENINGS