Nature publication: Local fossil fuel ad ban as a catalyst for global change

Local fossil fuel ad ban as a catalyst for global change

Bouman, T., Bolderdijk, J.W. & Smith, E.K. Local fossil fuel ad ban as a catalyst for global change. Nat. Clim. Chang. (2025). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41558-025-02267-4

"Although the ban is restricted to The Hague’s jurisdiction, the decision to implement the ban challenges norms and conventions that drive fossil-fuel consumption worldwide and sets an example for other governments to follow."

The article Local fossil fuel ad ban as a catalyst for global change by Bouman, Bolderdijk and Smith, published in Nature on March 21st 2025, reflects on the efficacy of a local ban on advertising for fossil products and services, such as “petrol, diesel, aviation, cruise ships, fossil energy contracts, and hybrid and combustion-engine cars”.  Such a law was recently introduced in The Hague, a world first. The initiative for this fossil ad ban has been celebrated by its proponents as groundbreaking and brave, and dismissed as symbol politics by its critics. 

Symbolism is powerful
According to the authors, the symbolic value is precisely where the strength of The Hague’s fossil ad ban lies, that is, in questioning the omnipresence of fossil fuels and services and pointing out the damage they do. Further, the democratic implementation of this ad ban solidifies the city's commitment to climate action within its legislature. The ban also prevents the fossil industry from clouding consumers’ judgment through greenwashing advertising campaigns. 

“By setting a precedent, The Hague’s actions may also encourage other cities and countries to explore similar measures. This ripple effect has the potential to inspire jurisdictions around the world to reconsider their tolerance of fossil fuel advertising and their role in fostering more sustainable consumption patterns.”

This seemingly “niche” piece of legislation can "lay the groundwork for sociatal transformations" just as the ban on tobacco ads. The authors stress that the effectiveness of a fossil advertising ban (in terms of emissions reductions) increases with scale and time, but that does not mean that this local measure now has no direct impact at all.

Twice as many proponents as opponents
The authors finally highlight low cost and easy implementation as reasons to support a fossil ad ban, as well as the fact that consumers’ purchase options are in no way limited by an ad ban. And indeed, a survey across 13 European countries shows that 46,6% of citizens actively support the idea of a fossil ad ban, compared to just 24,9% actively opposed and 28,4% neutral. 

Effective, low cost, easy to implement
A fossil ad ban is an effective, low-cost policy that is easy to implement and has enormous symbolic value and can achieve great emission reduction in the long term. Beyond just being a single measure, through rejecting the normalization of fossil fuel usage it paves the way for further measures on the local, national, and international level.

The authors conclude: "The Hague’s fossil-fuel advertising ban is more than a policy — it’s a signal. By rejecting the normalization of fossil fuel promotion, the decision to implement a ban locally can challenge entrenched norms globally, demonstrate government commitment, stimulate public scrutiny and lay the groundwork for broader change. Furthermore, their strengths of low costs, limited implementation requirements and broad public acceptability make them an easily applicable option for municipali￾ties and national legislatures. No single policy is likely to resolve the multifaceted challenges of climate change, but fossil fuel advertising bans present a compelling opportunity for governments to act."

Relevant fragments from the text

About the harm of fossil ads

• “Partly due to decades of pervasive advertising, products and services with high carbon (equivalent) emissions are deeply embedded in social norms and conventions (for example, driving SUVs and flying to holiday destinations), as well as patterns of production and consumption (‘carbon lock-ins’).”

About the expected advantages of a fossil ad ban

• “emissions reductions will probably manifest in the long term if a fossil fuel advertising ban is implemented across channels and at scale, as illustrated by the impact of tobacco advertising bans. Such comprehensive bans restrain the ability of companies
  • to boost aspiration levels further, 
  • to reinforce current fossil-intensive consumption norms and conventions (for example, flying regularly), 
  • and to form new ones, thereby removing an important barrier to the transition to more sustainable consumption patterns.”
• “Moreover, a ban limits opportunities for greenwashing and downplaying fossil fuel impacts, which are known to improve the fossil fuel industry’s image and cloud consumer decisions.” 
• By explicitly rejecting the normalization of fossil fuel products and services, The Hague sends out a powerful message. It
  • challenges the taken-for-granted nature and moral legitimacy of fossil fuel products and services, 
  • communicates their societal and environmental harms, and 
  • clearly indicates that promotion in the public sphere will not be tolerated. 
• As decisions of democratically elected officials are often assumed to represent the wider contemporary societal values, the ban suggests that the promotion and consumption of fossil fuel products and services is against the personal norms and goals of people who live in The Hague, further encouraging public scrutiny.”
  

Why the effects of a fossil ad ban expand beyond The Hague

• “The main impact of The Hague’s ban is arguably not in its immediate impacts on carbon (equivalent) emissions but in its symbolism, in particular:
  •  the potential to spark wider societal debate, 
  • challenge current fossil-intensive consumption norms and conventions, 
  • showcase the climate commitments of legislators, 
  • and set an example for other legislators.”
  • “The ban also signals The Hague’s firm commitment to climate action, which is likely to enhance public confidence in other governmental climate initiatives and further inspire individual-level pro-environmental behaviour.”
  • “By setting a precedent, The Hague’s actions may also encourage other cities and countries to explore similar measures. This ripple effect has the potential to inspire jurisdictions around the world to reconsider their tolerance of fossil fuel advertising and their role in fostering more sustainable consumption patterns.”
  • “Accordingly, this ban can be understood as a ‘niche’ innovation11 that — through further incubation in The Hague, diffusion to other locales and favourable conditions within the broader socio-political landscape — can lay the groundwork for societal transformations. For example, similar normative shifts have greatly reshaped societal acceptability of smoking behaviours.”

Why a fossil ad ban has broad public support

• “Unlike taxes or behavioural bans, advertising restrictions primarily target the consumer information environment.”
• “Advertising bans generally have lower costs and fewer implementation requirements for governments than many climate policy alternatives.” 
• “Moreover, a ban does not restrain consumers’ freedom to consume fossil fuel products or services.”
• “Indeed, recent data across diverse EU countries show that the support for an EU-wide fossil fuel advertising ban is almost twice as large as the level of opposition against it”