An Indigenous approach shows how changing the clocks for Daylight Saving Time runs counter to human nature - and nature itself

"But as an Indigenous person who studies environmental humanities, this sort of effort, and the debate about it, misses a key ecological perspective. Biologically speaking, it is normal, and even critical, for nature to do more during the brighter months and to do less during the darker ones. Animals go into hibernation, plants into dormancy. Humans are intimately interconnected with, interdependent on, and interrelated to nonhuman beings, rhythms and environments."

"The reason, many scholars agree, is that capitalism teaches humans that they are separate from, and superior to, nature - like the point on top of a pyramid. That, and I argue, that capitalism wants people to work the same number of hours year-round, no matter the season. This mindset runs counter to the way Indigenous people have lived for thousands of years."

"It is that time again. Time to wonder: Why do we turn the clocks forward and backward twice a year? Academics, scientists, politicians, economists, employers, parents - and just about everyone else you will interact with this week - are likely debating a wide range of reasons for and against Daylight Saving Time. But the reason is right there in the name: It's an effort to "save" daylight hours,"

Daylight Saving Time shifts clocks to 'save' daylight hours and encourage more activity during light periods. Nature follows seasonal rhythms: organisms increase activity in brighter months and conserve energy in darker months through hibernation and dormancy. Humans are biologically connected to nonhuman beings and seasonal cycles and similarly need periods of rest and bloom. Regularly changing clocks forces humans to act against biological presets, causing discomfort. Capitalist systems promote separation from nature and demand uniform year-round work hours, resisting seasonal variation. Indigenous worldviews emphasize circular, cyclical time aligned with terrestrial and celestial rhythms rather than linear, uniform schedules.

Read at The Conversation