Effects of Reducing Heat Stress Levels by Introducing Daylight Saving Time

Abstract

This study investigates the potential effectiveness of implementing Daylight Saving Time (DST) as a measure to mitigate heat stress induced by global and urban warming. Meteorological fields from the Meso-Scale Model (MSM), provided by the Japan Meteorological Agency, were bias-corrected and spatially interpolated using observational data from AMeDAS, and the Wet-Bulb Globe Temperature (WBGT) was computed for each location. Four distinct DST scenarios were formulated, and for each scenario and activity period, both the mean and maximum WBGT values were estimated. The nationwide analysis revealed that DST contributes to a general reduction in heat stress levels, with further mitigation observed when appropriate heat-avoidance behaviors are incorporated.