Time lords prepare to kick leap seconds into the next millennium

The international timekeeping community is considering a significant change that could have far-reaching impacts on critical infrastructure systems worldwide. The General Conference on Weights and Measures is set to vote next month on a draft resolution that would effectively eliminate leap seconds from Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) starting in May 2027.

Leap seconds are added to UTC periodically to keep it in alignment with Earth's slightly irregular rotation. Since their introduction in 1972, 27 leap seconds have been incorporated. Experts estimate that a negative leap second, a potentially groundbreaking adjustment, may be required by 2035 due to a recent increase in Earth's rotational speed.

The main concern is that many computer systems were designed with the assumption that leap seconds would always be added. This could lead to severe disruptions across essential services such as telecommunications, electricity grids, and satellite navigation systems if a negative leap second were to occur. Principal scientist at the UK's National Physical Laboratory, Setnam Shemar, highlighted the risks, stating that losing a second could trigger critical disruptions.

To mitigate these risks, the proposed resolution would allow UTC to diverge from rotational time by up to an hour, instead of relying on the traditional leap second adjustments. This change would prevent the need for further leap-second adjustments for many years, significantly reducing the associated risks to national infrastructure.

While it is unlikely that UTC would diverge by a full hour for at least a thousand years, the resolution is expected to pass based on the majority vote of national delegates from various countries. Most delegates have been advocating for the end of leap seconds due to the associated risks. Shemar emphasized that if humankind endures that long, it might be the least of our worries.