Autumn landscape in Devon, England, illuminated by a radiant sunrise in 2012.

Daylight Saving Time (DST), a practice that extends the evening hours of daylight by setting clocks an hour ahead during the summer months, has been a topic of debate for over a century. Over the past 50 years, the duration of DST has been extended from six months to eight months, thanks to the support of several industries such as golf and barbecue.

However, not every nation embraces DST. Most Asian and African nations avoid it altogether, while South America features a mix of different DST and non-DST schedules among neighboring countries. In North America and Europe, the majority observe DST, but the change of clocks doesn't occur simultaneously, creating further discrepancies.

The impact of DST on energy consumption has been a subject of numerous studies. During the 2000 Sydney Olympics, parts of Australia extended DST while others did not. Environmental economist Hendrik Wolff found that the practice did indeed drop lighting and electricity use in the evenings, but that higher energy demands during darker mornings completely cancelled out the evening gains. A study by Hendrik Wolff, of the University of Washington, also found that everywhere there is air conditioning, DST may have the opposite effect on energy savings, increasing electric bills.

The agricultural sector, particularly dairy farmers, has been vocal about their dislike for DST. Cows' natural milking schedules don't adapt easily to a sudden shift, causing inconvenience. The TV industry is another opponent of DST, as the Nielsen ratings during the first week of DST go down by 10 to 15 percent in viewership.

Despite the controversy, the U.S. Energy Policy Act of 2005 mandated a controversial month-long extension of DST, which began in 2007. The annual lost opportunity cost due to changing America's clocks and devices back and forth is estimated to be $1.7 billion, according to Utah State University economist William F. Shughart II.

Opposition to DST has been present for over a century, as stated by Michael Downing, author of "Spring Forward: The Annual Madness of Daylight Saving Time." Till Roenneberg, a chronobiologist at Ludwig-Maximilians University in Munich, Germany, suggests that the human body's circadian clock, kept in tune by light and darkness, never adjusts to the changing chronology of DST, leading to decreased productivity, decreased quality of life, increasing susceptibility to illness, and being "just plain tired."

It's worth noting that the federal government doesn't require states or territories to observe DST. Places like Arizona, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, American Samoa, Guam, and the Northern Marianas Islands will ignore this weekend's switch. A 2012 study by University of Alabama at Birmingham's Martin Young found that the risk of heart attack surges by 10 percent on the Monday and Tuesday after moving the clocks ahead an hour each spring.

Despite the ongoing debate, there are currently no specific or prominent voices or political initiatives in the USA explicitly advocating for the extension of DST. The Rasmussen Report from March 2013 found that only 37 percent of Americans surveyed thought DST is "worth the hassle," while 45 percent said it was not.

In conclusion, while DST has been extended in many countries and has benefits for certain industries, it remains a controversial practice with significant impacts on energy consumption, agriculture, and human health. The ongoing debate about its merits and drawbacks continues to shape the decision-making process in many nations.