Cities have banned plastics and coffee pods to protect the environment. But The Hague will make history as the first to ban all fossil fuel-related advertising.
The Dutch city, home to top international bodies such as the United Nations's International Criminal Court, decided last week to ban any ads from the fossil fuel industry, whether for petrol cars, cruise ships, or air travel.
It’s an uncommon step for countries to take, given the clout that fossil fuel companies have in the world. Some countries have taken similar measures, such as France, which introduced a law banning advertising on fossil fuel products except methane gas. Edinburgh’s council prohibited promoting fossil fuel-powered products in city spaces, and Amsterdam made similar efforts to restrict ads in subway stations and city centers. Still, none of those measures are as sweeping as the The Hague’s.
The administration’s move comes just months after UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called for countries to bring such a ban to effect as fossil fuel companies were “the Godfathers of climate chaos.” He wanted cities to take a hard-line stance in advertising for such products, akin to tobacco industry products.
The Hague’s law could potentially be more complicated to overturn than actions taken by other European cities. It could also bring the city of 500,000 residents closer to its goal of becoming carbon dioxide neutral by 2030.
"We believe that adopting binding laws to ban fossil-fuel advertising through local legislation is a world-first," Leonie Gerritsen, a councilor for the Party for Animals (PvdD) that proposed the ban, told AFP.
"We hope that this law will also signal other cities to do the same to fight climate change."
The move will come into effect at the start of next year.
PvdD also spoke out about the European Union spending tens of millions of euros on promoting the meat industry, calling it “unfathomable” earlier this year.
Edinburgh’s council banned ads for fossil fuel-heavy industries, such as cruises and car manufacturers, stating that such promotions went against its 2030 net-zero objectives and wouldn’t be the best use of council-owned spaces like billboards or bus stops.
“It’s a way of saying fossil fuel companies and arms manufacturers are not welcome in our city,” Ben Parker, the city councilor of Edinburgh who led the efforts on its ad ban, told the Washington Post in June.
Fossil fuel companies are among the world's top-ranking companies, as seen in the Fortune 500 Europe list. So, a few cities cracking down on advertising may not do much to hurt their business or have a far-reaching effect on carbon emissions.
However, The Hague’s steps set a precedent for other European cities to adopt a stronger stance on fossil fuel promotions.
