A city on the North Sea coast of the western Netherlands, The Hague, has become the first city to ban fossil fuel-related ads in the world.
The ban bill which has taken two years to pass before approval on Thursday will take effect from start of next week.
The ban is said to end public and private funded advertising for petrol and diesel, aviation and cruise ships in the streets of the Dutch city.
Coordinator at Reclame Fossielvrij (Fossil Free Advertising), Femke Sleegers, noted earlier that efforts to regulate fossil fuel advertising in The Hague had faltered due to non-compliance by operators but however apprised the government for tackling climatic crisis.
“The Hague shows the courage needed to tackle the climate crisis,” she said
In the same vein, an associate professor of environmental psychology at Rijksuniversiteit Groningen, Thijs Bouman, argued that fossil fuel advertising weakens climate policy by promoting unsustainable practices.
“Major government investments are needed to counteract the negative effect of fossil advertising,”
“If fossil advertising is banned, these resources can be better deployed, for example, to strengthen sustainable options and facilities such as public transport,” he explained.
The Hague’s move aligns with a global push for fossil fuel advertising bans, which gained momentum after a call from UN Secretary-General; António Guterres, earlier this year.
Guterres urged governments and media outlets to treat fossil fuel advertising with the same urgency as tobacco ads, citing their role in perpetuating the climate crisis.
Several cities have already taken steps in this direction. In May, Edinburgh council passed a motion to prohibit ads for fossil fuel companies, airlines, airports, fossil fuel-powered cars, cruise ships, and arms on council-owned advertising spaces.
Additionally, these companies are now barred from sponsoring events or forming partnerships in the city. This move reflects a growing recognition of the need to limit the promotion of high-carbon industries, as municipalities worldwide look for ways to align local policies with climate goals.
