November = Sadness, Sickness, Environmental Destruction

November is the month that pleasantly crisp, sunny October days and colorful fall foliage give way to bare winter trees, darkness and ever plummeting temperatures. Sure, February is bad, but at least spring is within sight. November 1st in northern climates means pretty much 6 solid months of frigid gloom ahead. So you might want to start drinking early today to help numb the melancholia, that is if you're not too concerned that alcohol is more dangerous than heroin and crack cocaine.

The effects of Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) are well known to science and of course flu season is on its way which means lots of misery and more than a few deaths. But it turns out that the simple act turning the clocks back an hour is also bad for your health and the health of the planet.

Putting the clocks back in winter is bad for health, wastes energy and increases pollution, scientists say, and putting an end to the practice in northern areas could bring major health and environmental benefits.

Countries across Europe, the United States, Canada and parts of the Middle East mark the start of winter by ending Daylight Saving Time (DST) and putting their clocks back by an hour -- often in late October or early November -- a move that means it is lighter by the time most people get up to start their day.

But this also robs afternoons of an hour of daylight, and some experts argue that in more northern regions, the energy needed to brighten this darkness, and the limits it puts on outdoor activities are harming our health and the environment.

Leaving clocks alone as winter approaches would allow an extra hour of daylight in the afternoon and could boost levels of vitamin D as well as encourage people to exercise more.

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Almost half of the world's population has lower than optimal levels of vitamin D, often called the sunshine vitamin. Vitamin D deficiency is a well-known risk factor for rickets and evidence suggests it may increase susceptibility to autoimmune diseases.

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A study published earlier this year found that advancing clocks by an hour in the winter would lead to energy savings of at least 0.3 percent of daily demand in Britain.

Elizabeth Garnsey, one of the study's authors and an expert in innovative studies at Cambridge University, said this was equivalent to saving 450,000 tonnes of CO2 during winter alone.

[Reuters]