The guest: stop advertising for fossil fuels

New studies show that the pace of global warming is accelerating. The effects of rising temperatures are being cruelly felt, as evidenced by the recent terribly deadly heatwaves in Asia and the floods in South America, the United States and Spain. Time is running out.

Faster political action on climate change is vital. While other solutions exist – we can see particularly rapid growth in wind electricity and renewable solar – the fossil fuel industry has for decades demonstrated a relentless zeal to hinder environmental progress.

As UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres pointed out in the spring, many in the oil, gas and coal sectors have been “shamelessly greenwashing” through lobbying, legal action and blatantly misleading advertising campaigns: “I urge all countries to ban advertising from fossil fuel companies.”

This call is a valuable encouragement for activists who have fought against advertising from fossil fuel companies. Arts, culture and sports are the main areas of advertising for these fuels. Football has long been associated with oil and gas producers. In the past, concerns about human health have led to bans on the sponsorship of alcohol and tobacco, particularly in football.

Such awareness is required today with regard to advertising for fossil fuels. Therefore, a growing number of European municipalities are taking steps to restrict these advertisements, setting a precedent that the European Union and Switzerland could follow. Since last September, The Hague has become the first city in the world to ban advertisements promoting fossil fuel products and carbon-intensive services, including cruise ships and air travel.

The Swiss Federal Court has ruled twice, in 2021 and 2024, in favor of the legality of measures aimed at prohibiting commercial advertising in public spaces. The municipalities of Vevey, La Chaux-de-Fonds, Bern, Vernier and Lancy have taken measures over the last two years to drastically restrict advertising through billboards. And other Swiss cities are studying the implementation of similar measures. A appel international recently signed by more than seventy personalities from the medical, scientific and political world finally calls for a ban on advertising for fossil products in Europe and Switzerland.

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