Greenland applies a new time zone

Greenland's 56,000 residents are gearing up for a significant change in their daily routine as they adapt to a new time zone. Depending on your stance in the ongoing daylight saving time debate in the US, you may find yourself a tad envious of Greenland's decision.

A new time zone is applied in Greenland

Starting on March 25, Greenland will set its clocks forward by one hour, moving to the UTC -2 time zone for the summer, as it has done in the past. However, the crucial difference this year is that Greenland intends to stay in this time zone permanently. No longer will its inhabitants endure the biannual clock changes that many of us in Europe and the US are familiar with. When October arrives, while the rest of Europe and the US fall back to standard time, Greenland will remain in the same time zone.

This shift means that during the upcoming winter, there will only be a three-hour time difference between most of Greenland and Copenhagen. It's worth noting that Greenland, while self-governing, is part of the Kingdom of Denmark.

For residents residing in regions of Greenland situated below the Arctic Circle, this change signifies an extra hour of daylight later in the day. However, given the extreme seasonal variations in sunrise and sunset, visitors to the island are unlikely to perceive a significant difference. For instance, the capital city, Nuuk, can experience up to 20 hours of daylight in the summer but only enjoys around four hours of sunlight during the winter months.

The decision to abandon daylight saving time has been a contentious topic among Greenland's politicians for some time, even preceding the pandemic. This debate mirrors the current discourse in the United States. One of the primary arguments in favor of this change in Greenland is the opportunity to align more closely with European business hours, which is expected to benefit the local economy. Tanny Por, the head of international relations at Visit Greenland, sheds light on this perspective.