Cause and Effect | The Hague bans fossil fuel ads
The city's municipal council voted to approve the new rules for outdoor advertising, which will apply to billboards and freestanding advertising screens.
In a landmark move, The Hague on September 13 banned street advertising of fossil fuel products and high-carbon services like cruise ships and air travel, becoming the first city in the world to pass such a legislation.
The municipal council of the third largest city in the Netherlands voted to approve the new rules for outdoor advertising. These will apply from January 1 to billboards and freestanding advertising screens.
The legislation came months after UN general-secretary Antonio Guterres called out the oil and gas industry for “shamelessly greenwashing” while actively trying to delay climate action, aided and abetted by advertising and public relations companies.
While billions around the world see their lives grow costlier due to climate change, “the Godfathers of climate chaos – the fossil fuel conglomerates – rake in record profits and feast off trillions in taxpayer-funded subsidies,” he said in a speech on June 5. He then called on advertising firms to “stop taking on new fossil fuel clients” and “stop acting as enablers to planetary destruction”.
For once, his platitudes appear to have worked — even if on a single city for now. “The city council of The Hague adopted two proposals to ban fossil advertising in outdoor spaces,” council spokesman Jordy Kruse told the AFP news agency last month. The first proposal informs advertising agencies that fossil fuel advertising is not permitted while the second bans all fossil fuel advertising in public spaces, Kruse said.
The Hague, the country’s administrative centre and the hub of international law is seeking to be climate-neutral by 2030. Through the legislation, the city hopes to send a message that governments are ready to take concrete steps to address the climate crisis and protect their citizens from harmful commercial influences.
Femke Sleegers, a campaigner with Reclame Fossielvrij (Fossil Free Advertising), said: “The Hague shows the courage needed to tackle the climate crisis... The Hague shows that this is possible through local law. This decision could have a snowball effect worldwide.”
But similar legislation elsewhere might be trickier to introduce, and even more so to implement. For one, several countries depend on the fossil fuel industry to drive their economies. Second, even in non-fossil fuel economies, energy generation is largely still dependent on fossil fuels and the sector drives employment generation.
In 2022, a report by the International Institute of Sustainable Development, “Boom and Bust: The fiscal implications of fossil fuel phase-out in six large emerging economies” found that public revenues from fossil fuel production and consumption accounted for a staggering 34% of general government revenue in Russia, 18% in India, and 16% in Indonesia. The share stood at 8% in Brazil, 6% in South Africa, and 5% in China. In the US, America’s oil and natural gas industry supports 10.3 million jobs and nearly 8% of the nation’s Gross Domestic Product.
Following the ad ban in The Hague, scientists have expressed hope that other countries will follow suit. But one hurdle for such legislation is existing laws that may make bans on adverts difficult, if not impossible. A way to work around these, then, would be targeting certain claims fossil fuel companies make in these ads. For instance, misleading claims about the impacts of their products on the environment or human health.
Guterres’ speech suggests that private interventions and government policies alike could tackle greenwashing in fossil fuel advertisements. The timing has never been more important, he noted.
“Many in the fossil fuel industry have shamelessly greenwashed, even as they have sought to delay climate action with lobbying, legal threats, and massive ad campaigns,” Guterres said. “They have been aided and abetted by advertising and PR companies — mad men fueling the madness. I call on these companies to stop acting as enablers of planetary destruction.”
Earth is hurtling toward a major climate milestone, with experts warning that the 1.5-degree temperature target — the Paris Agreement’s primary goal — is quickly slipping out of reach. The next 18 months present a crucial window to strengthen global climate action, Guterres said.
This ban may only be among the first few steps that countries take. Uwe Krüger, communications scientist at Leipzig University, said: “An intercontinental flight, a sea cruise or an SUV alone can use up our fair CO2 budget per capita for an entire year. Advertising for high-emission products tends to increase their sales by awakening supposed needs in consumers… it also normalises the consumption of environmentally harmful products — although we all urgently need to reduce our lifestyle carbon footprint in order to keep global warming within tolerable limits.”
Kruger added: “The ‘City of Peace and Justice’ sends a strong signal for sustainability and intergenerational justice — local and media politicians around the world should take a look and reflect on their options for limiting fossil advertising in cities, on television, on platforms and in other media in favour of our children and grandchildren.”
Tannu Jain, HT's chief content producer, picks a piece of climate news from around the globe and analyses its impact using connected reports, research and expert speak
In a landmark move, The Hague on September 13 banned street advertising of fossil fuel products and high-carbon services like cruise ships and air travel, becoming the first city in the world to pass such a legislation.
The municipal council of the third largest city in the Netherlands voted to approve the new rules for outdoor advertising. These will apply from January 1 to billboards and freestanding advertising screens.
The legislation came months after UN general-secretary Antonio Guterres called out the oil and gas industry for “shamelessly greenwashing” while actively trying to delay climate action, aided and abetted by advertising and public relations companies.
While billions around the world see their lives grow costlier due to climate change, “the Godfathers of climate chaos – the fossil fuel conglomerates – rake in record profits and feast off trillions in taxpayer-funded subsidies,” he said in a speech on June 5. He then called on advertising firms to “stop taking on new fossil fuel clients” and “stop acting as enablers to planetary destruction”.
For once, his platitudes appear to have worked — even if on a single city for now. “The city council of The Hague adopted two proposals to ban fossil advertising in outdoor spaces,” council spokesman Jordy Kruse told the AFP news agency last month. The first proposal informs advertising agencies that fossil fuel advertising is not permitted while the second bans all fossil fuel advertising in public spaces, Kruse said.
The Hague, the country’s administrative centre and the hub of international law is seeking to be climate-neutral by 2030. Through the legislation, the city hopes to send a message that governments are ready to take concrete steps to address the climate crisis and protect their citizens from harmful commercial influences.
Femke Sleegers, a campaigner with Reclame Fossielvrij (Fossil Free Advertising), said: “The Hague shows the courage needed to tackle the climate crisis... The Hague shows that this is possible through local law. This decision could have a snowball effect worldwide.”
But similar legislation elsewhere might be trickier to introduce, and even more so to implement. For one, several countries depend on the fossil fuel industry to drive their economies. Second, even in non-fossil fuel economies, energy generation is largely still dependent on fossil fuels and the sector drives employment generation.
In 2022, a report by the International Institute of Sustainable Development, “Boom and Bust: The fiscal implications of fossil fuel phase-out in six large emerging economies” found that public revenues from fossil fuel production and consumption accounted for a staggering 34% of general government revenue in Russia, 18% in India, and 16% in Indonesia. The share stood at 8% in Brazil, 6% in South Africa, and 5% in China. In the US, America’s oil and natural gas industry supports 10.3 million jobs and nearly 8% of the nation’s Gross Domestic Product.
Following the ad ban in The Hague, scientists have expressed hope that other countries will follow suit. But one hurdle for such legislation is existing laws that may make bans on adverts difficult, if not impossible. A way to work around these, then, would be targeting certain claims fossil fuel companies make in these ads. For instance, misleading claims about the impacts of their products on the environment or human health.
Guterres’ speech suggests that private interventions and government policies alike could tackle greenwashing in fossil fuel advertisements. The timing has never been more important, he noted.
“Many in the fossil fuel industry have shamelessly greenwashed, even as they have sought to delay climate action with lobbying, legal threats, and massive ad campaigns,” Guterres said. “They have been aided and abetted by advertising and PR companies — mad men fueling the madness. I call on these companies to stop acting as enablers of planetary destruction.”
Earth is hurtling toward a major climate milestone, with experts warning that the 1.5-degree temperature target — the Paris Agreement’s primary goal — is quickly slipping out of reach. The next 18 months present a crucial window to strengthen global climate action, Guterres said.
This ban may only be among the first few steps that countries take. Uwe Krüger, communications scientist at Leipzig University, said: “An intercontinental flight, a sea cruise or an SUV alone can use up our fair CO2 budget per capita for an entire year. Advertising for high-emission products tends to increase their sales by awakening supposed needs in consumers… it also normalises the consumption of environmentally harmful products — although we all urgently need to reduce our lifestyle carbon footprint in order to keep global warming within tolerable limits.”
Kruger added: “The ‘City of Peace and Justice’ sends a strong signal for sustainability and intergenerational justice — local and media politicians around the world should take a look and reflect on their options for limiting fossil advertising in cities, on television, on platforms and in other media in favour of our children and grandchildren.”
Tannu Jain, HT's chief content producer, picks a piece of climate news from around the globe and analyses its impact using connected reports, research and expert speak