No more fossil fuel ads: The Hague becomes first city to pass binding, local law

While other cities like Amsterdam, Edinburgh have banned fossil fuel ads earlier, they are not binding laws

Wish to put up advertisements about petrol, gas, diesel, air travel, or luxury cruises? If you’re in The Hague in The Netherlands, you won’t be able to anymore from January 1, 2025.

A landmark order was passed yesterday that put into effect a locally binding law that bans advertisements promoting fossil fuel products as well as high-carbon services like cruise ships and air travel – the first time a city has been able to ban fossil fuel ads through binding, local regulation.

Such an effort has been a while in the making, across countries. But powerful lobbying by fossil fuel companies kept it at bay. However, a strong reprimand by UN General Secretary General Antonio Guterres earlier this June during an event in New York seems to have got the ball rolling faster.

“I urge every country to ban advertising from fossil fuel companies. And I urge news media and tech companies to stop taking fossil fuel advertising,” said Guterres, according to a report by the BBC.

During the same speech, the UN chief had also emphasised the role of fossil fuel companies in “obstructing progress over decades”, and “shamelessly greenwashing”.

Green impetus

This is the first time a city has enacted such a law through a local order, which makes it legally binding, and hence, difficult to nullify. 

While other cities like Amsterdam, Edinburgh and Sydney have been ahead of The Hague in regulating and limiting fossil fuel advertising, they have implemented non-binding measures, dependent on voluntary agreements with advertising agencies. France, too, enacted a country-wide ban on fossil fuel advertising two years back.

Effectively, these softer measures leave the law open to exploitation. Existing advertisement contracts can run until the end of their tenures, which can be years, and will not be stopped immediately, unlike in The Hague. Also, enforceability of the law is dependent on the elected political representatives at the city level.

However, The Hague’s enactment is important as this landmark move will certainly add wind to the sails of other cities trying to enact similar laws. In Canada, a Toronto city councillor is behind a motion to ban fossil fuel ads from mass transportation systems, while British Columbia is keen to follow The Hague. A referendum is under discussion in Hamburg, Germany, for similar results, according to World Without Fossil Ads.

Climate activists and scientists welcomed this move.

“”The decision of The Hague to ban fossil ads by local law is consistent with the climate goals. 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,” said Associate Professor Thijs Bouman (Rijksuniversiteit Groningen), who authored the paper ‘A ban on fossil ads is essential, but other measures are also needed’.

He further said, “In our report we conclude that fossil advertising normalises and promotes unsustainable behaviour and discourages sustainable behaviour, actively undermining current climate policy.”

End to high-carbon usage

Rather than simply banning fossil fuel advertisements, The Hague went a step further to ban advertisements showing carbon intensive products or industries such as aviation and cruise ships. The city has plans to become carbon neutral by 2030. 

“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,” said Dr. Uwe Krüger, communications scientist at Leipzig University, writer of the report Advertising for climate killers: How TV and YouTube advertising violates the German Interstate Media Treaty.

“On a cultural meta-level, 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,” he said.

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