Fossil advertising should be prohibited because it worsens the climate crisis and undermines the policy that aims to fight the climate crisis.

Research shows that fossil advertising:

• adds substantial extra emissions to the atmosphere (recommended reading: Ivanova 2020, Greenpeace 2022, Purpose Disruptors 2023)
• prevents social norms from changing (recommended reading: Bouman 2023, Castro-Santa 2023, Stubenvoll 2020)
• obstructs policy for a fossil fuel phase out (recommended reading: Brulle 2019, Miller Gaither 2016, McKie 2022, Eaton 2019)
• misleads people about the harm of fossil fuels and the urgency of the climate crisis (recommended reading: Friedman 2023, Kaupa 2021 & 2022, Trencher 2023)

Yes, science supports the need for a fossil ad ban. On this website you can find research papers that support a ban on fossil ads. Below, we will highlight some reports that all call for a ban on the promotion of high carbon products to reach the climate goals.

• IPCC, 6th assesment, WG3 (2022)
  In its most recent report (6th Assessment Working Group 3), the IPCC mentions regulating fossil advertising as one of the mitigation strategies. This has an effect on CO2-intensive consumption behaviour, according to the IPCC. The IPCC also mentions the normalising effect of advertisements driving CO2-intensive consumption. Advertisements can even make people feel that luxury goods are really necessary. The IPCC is also critical about misleading advertising by the fossil fuel industry.
• UNEP Emission Gap Report (2020)
  The United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP) – cites regulating advertising as a mechanism for lifestyle change. UNEP links concrete emissions to packages of measures that include banning advertising on air travel and carbon-intensive cars.
• Cambridge Sustainability Commission on Scaling Behavior Change (2021)
  “Scaling behaviour change for a 1.5 degree world” is the 1st synthesis report on the contribution of behaviour change to meeting the Paris target. The Cambridge Institute focuses on the empirical evidence on levers for social change, as well as on advertising restrictions as a lever to accelerate climate action.
• Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (2020)
  The Potsdam Institute cites a ban on fossil product advertising as a measure that contributes to the social tipping point for rapid decarbonisation. The study highlights that climate measures are mutually reinforcing. For example, a ban on fossil advertising reinforces measures aimed at increasing climate knowledge.
• Quantifying mitigation of consumption options, Diana Ivanoca et al (2020)
  Study the impact of measures to reduce consumption as a mitigation measure against climate change. Bans on flying and cars ads are part of the package.
• New Weather Institute (2022) and Purpose Disruptors (2022)
  New Weather Institute and Purpose Disruptors (advertisers in the UK) separately calculated the emissions damage from advertising campaigns for flying and cars, respectively, in the EU and in the UK. Combined, advertisements for air travel and polluting cars cause between 41 to as much as 122 MtCO2eq within the EU.

An advertising ban is a normal tool of the national or local government when a product is known to cause serious harm. For example, in many places in the world there is an advertising ban for tobacco. This shows that a fossil ad ban is legally viable if the stakes for society are high enough.

A fossil ad ban is in line with the freedom of speech and internal market regulations

Freedom of expression and internal market regulations may be restricted if there is a legitimate purpose, such as health protection, according to several legal experts about several jurisdictions.

• An almost complete ban on fossil advertisements is proportionate in light of public interests, such as health, environment and democratic processes (Kaupa).
  
• Curbing adverts for environmentally-damaging products and lifestyles, such as cars, airlines and fossil fuel companies would be lawful, rational and proportionate. And there is good grounds to do so (Richard Wald KC for the UK)
• Legislative and legal options for nation-wide restriction of fossil fuel advertising and sponsorships, and how they could help reduce greenhouse gas emissions in Australia (Marque Lawyers).
• A fossil ad ban is “perfectly legal” according to EU internal market law, free movement of goods, fundamental human rights and consumer law. What is more, the ban pursues positive legal commitments upheld by both the EU and the Netherlands. (Prof Ingo Venzke and Laurens Ankersmit)

See more legal research on fossil ads

There is broad support for a fossil ad ban. Consumers want a tougher approach to greenwashing. 75% of people are in favor of a ban on polluting companies from pretending to be greener. Almost 40% are even in favor of a complete advertising ban for fossil companies. This is evident from a survey among consumers in Europe, Canada, Australia and the US.

Also, a majority of Dutch young people want an end to meat advertising, air travel and the fossil fuel industry, according to an advice report by Unicef.

One study has found that “a comprehensive set of tobacco advertising bans can reduce tobacco consumption and that a limited set of advertising bans will have little or no effect”. Another study concludes about regulating tobacco ads: “[r]egulations profoundly impact the moral legitimacy of controversial industries by shaping societal expectations about which practices are deemed morally appropriate or acceptable, and by making the misalignment between an industry’s strategies and collective interests visible and salient.”

The common definition of fossil advertising is: any advertisement or sponsorship by companies selling fossil fuels, vehicles running on fossil fuels, and flights or ferries that run on fossil fuels.

A ban on fossil ads will prohibit advertisements for fossil fuels, as well as air, road and water-borne transportation (other than transport services of general economic interest) powered by fossil fuels; it will prohibit advertisements from any undertakings active in the market for fossil fuels, in particular by extracting, refining, supplying, distributing or selling
fossil fuels; it will prohibit sponsorships by undertakings, or using trademarks or commercial names used for fossil fuels. A fossil ad ban will not apply to derivatives such as plastic and chemicals.

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Fossil advertising is seen on the streets, in bus shelters, in news media, in social media, on television.
Fossil sponsorships are seen in museums sportclubs, schools (sponsored lesson material), events, universities.

● Offline: any advertisements in print media, television, billboard, radio, SRI, or academic publications
● Online: any social media ads or branded content on all social or traditional media platforms
● Sport- any sponsorship of sports clubs or events
● Culture- any sponsorship of museums, arts institutions, theatres, music venues, festivals, events or artists
● Education- public universities, schools, or any public educational institution
● Science: any public science festivals or funding for public scientific institutes and educational publications
● Public events- in particular related to climate, health, biodiversity, environment and ecological sustainability.
● Third party media events

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The main actors in producing and spreading fossil advertising are:

• The fossil fuel industry, the airline, cruise and travel industry, the car industry
• The communication, advertising and pr industry; who make the marketing strategy and create the ads
• The organisations who make money by spreading fossil ads to a big audience: publishing houses, broadcasting companies, tech platforms (like Google), advertising exploiters (like JC Decaux), media agencies and all subcontractors.