They want to make world time independent of the Earth's rotation

Proposal made to decouple world time from Earth's rotation

International experts have proposed abandoning the adjustment of Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) using leap seconds. If the decision is approved, the new system will come into effect on May 20, 2027.

Currently, UTC is periodically adjusted so that it does not diverge from the time determined by the Earth's rotation. Previously, a second was added to world time for this purpose; however, the acceleration of the planet's rotation has created the possibility of the opposite scenario: for the first time, it may be necessary to subtract one second. Such a mechanism has never been used or tested under real-world conditions.

The problem primarily affects digital infrastructure. A sudden change in time by even one second can cause disruptions in telecommunications, satellite navigation systems, energy, and other networks where precise synchronization is required. Therefore, it is proposed to make UTC continuous and allow it to gradually diverge from the Earth's rotation time by up to one hour. According to calculations, it would take centuries to accumulate such a difference.

The draft resolution will be considered at the General Conference on Weights and Measures, which will be held in France from October 13 to 15.