The Hague will become first city to ban fossil fuel ads by law

The Hague will become the world’s first city to write into law a ban on advertising that promotes fossil fuels, petrol cars, air travel and cruise ships, in the latest in a wave of crackdowns by cities around the world.

The decision by the council in the Netherlands’ administrative centre and the hub of international law is significant because unlike other bans it does not rely on negotiations to end individual advertising contracts, and could be harder to overturn.

It will apply across public spaces such as billboards and freestanding screens, and will come into force at the start of next year.

The motion voted through early on Friday sent an “important signal,” said Leonie Gerritsen, a councillor for the PvdD animal welfare and green party that proposed the ban. The Hague has set a goal of becoming carbon dioxide neutral by 2030, compared with a 2050 national target.

“We really hope to initiate a snowball effect so local governments can take charge if their national governments aren’t doing what’s necessary,” Gerritsen said.

UN secretary-general António Guterres has called for a tobacco-style global ban on advertising by oil, gas and coal companies, describing these companies as “godfathers of climate chaos” in a passionate speech in June.

The move could be more effective than efforts by other cities including Edinburgh and Amsterdam in the past two years to bring their advertising rules into line with their wider climate change strategies, campaigners said.

In May, Edinburgh council banned the promotion of high-carbon products in council-owned spaces such as billboards and bus stops across the Scottish capital.

It described goods such as sports cars and cruise holidays as “incompatible with net zero objectives”, echoing similar bans by councils in England, including Sheffield, Cambridgeshire and Liverpool.

In Australia, councils including the city of Sydney have voted for a range of restrictions on fossil fuel ads and sponsorships.

Uwe Krüger, a communications expert at Leipzig University, said fossil fuel sector advertising increased the sale of high-emission products by “awakening supposed needs in consumers”.