The Hague becomes world’s first city to ban fossil fuel-related ads

The Hague has become the first city in the world to ban advertisements promoting fossil fuel products and climate-busting services.

A law passed on Thursday spells the end of publicly and privately funded advertising for petrol and diesel, aviation and cruise ships in the streets of the Dutch city, including on billboards and bus shelters. It takes effect from the start of next year.

It is the first time a city has banned high-carbon advertising through local legislation. The decision follows a call by the UN chief, António Guterres, earlier this year for governments and media to enact such bans, as they have done with tobacco.

Some cities have already tried to limit the reach of high-carbon products and services through council motions or voluntary agreements with advertising operators. Edinburgh council agreed in May to ban advertising for fossil fuel companies, airlines, airports, fossil fuel-powered cars, cruise ships and arms on council-owned advertising spaces. Companies selling these products will also no longer be able to sponsor events or other partnerships in Scotland’s capital.

The Hague’s ban, which has taken two years to pass, is legally binding. It outlaws fossil fuel products and services with a high carbon footprint, but it does not cover political advertising by the fossil fuel industry or adverts that promote a general brand.

Femke Sleegers of the Dutch fossil-free advertising group Reclame Fossielvrij, which helped publicise a campaign for the ban, said previous attempts to regulate fossil fuel advertising in the city had failed because operators refused to comply. “The Hague shows the courage needed to tackle the climate crisis,” she said.

Thijs Bouman, an associate professor in environmental psychology at Rijksuniversiteit Groningen, said fossil fuel advertising undermined climate policy because it normalised and promoted unsustainable behaviour.

“Major government investments are needed to counteract the negative effect of fossil advertising,” he said. “If fossil advertising is banned, these resources can be better deployed, for example to strengthen sustainable options and facilities such as public transport.”

The Hague’s legislation is seen as a potential catalyst for similar campaigns around the world, including Toronto in Canada and Graz in Austria. A local law has also been proposed in the Dutch capital, Amsterdam.

“More cities have a wish to implement the fossil ad ban through [an] ordinance, but they were all waiting for some other city to go first. The Hague is this city,” said Sleegers.