The Hague, Netherlands’ third-largest metropolis, has handed a neighborhood ordinance banning fossil gasoline commercials and advertisements for different highly-polluting providers within the metropolis, turning into the primary metropolis on the earth to take action.
The ban encompasses not simply fossil gasoline promoting, but in addition for highly-polluting providers like airline and cruise holidays, fossil gasoline suppliers and, better of all, gasoline-powered automobiles (however actually, who would ever wish to waste cash on an inferior gasoline car anyway, proper Electrek readers?).
It should apply primarily to outside promoting within the type of billboards, shows in outside strolling areas, advertisements on and inside transit, and so forth.
The Hague had beforehand introduced its intent to be local weather impartial by 2030, so the town finds this to be a essential step in direction of that purpose. “The Hague desires to be local weather impartial by 2030. Then it’s inappropriate to permit promoting for merchandise from the fossil trade. Fortuitously, the town council now acknowledges this,” mentioned Leonie Gerritsen of the Celebration for the Animals.
The fossil advert ban was first proposed by the Celebration for the Animals. It builds on a earlier movement to ban fossil advertisements from bus shelters, which had gained broad assist from the representatives of the Greens, Labor, Socialists, centrist minority-rights celebration DENK, progressive pro-Europe celebration Democrats 66, and the center-right Christian Union.
The Netherlands, significantly in its cities, has one of many extra superior transportation techniques on the earth. Bicycles are closely used inside Dutch cities, and bike infrastructure is ubiquitous. This leads to excessive security as cyclists are correctly protected on the highway, excessive throughput from bicycles that take up loads much less area than vehicles, and low transportation emissions by means of using probably the most environment friendly transportation methodology man has ever devised.
The nation can be among the many greatest in electrical automotive penetration, with just below half of recent automobiles being electrical – lagging solely behind (all the) Nordic international locations in electrification of its cars.
Nonetheless, as a nation, Netherlands lags behind standout international locations when it comes to per capita emissions. Regardless of heavy use of bicycles and EVs, every Dutch particular person emits about 50% extra CO2 than the residents of close by France, UK or Denmark, or twice as a lot as close by Sweden. (Although all of those international locations have decrease emissions than the US, the world’s largest all-time emitter, and even higher than the cleanest US states like California and New York)
That is primarily resulting from Netherlands’ vitality system, the place fossil gasoline coal nonetheless make up a big a part of the nation’s grid, versus the heavy use of nuclear in France, wind in UK and Denmark, and hydro in Sweden. Netherlands additionally makes use of fossil gasoline for dwelling heating, and is among the most gas-reliant international locations in Europe with over 90% of properties utilizing it for heating. This has additionally affected their vitality safety in the course of the continent-wide gasoline disaster that got here with Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Fossil promoting bans may assist to bend the needle on each of these elements – whereas shoppers don’t all the time have direct buying energy over electrical energy era or dwelling heating decisions, decreasing the quantity of propaganda from fossil corporations means extra may make the selection to put in dwelling photo voltaic (you possibly can too, with our affiliate hyperlink) or to exchange their fossil gasoline heating system with a extra environment friendly warmth pump.
Another cities have “banned” fossil gasoline advertisements, equivalent to Amsterdam, Edinburgh and Sydney. Nonetheless, these bans are completely different than The Hague’s, as a result of they are going to be completed by means of contract amendments with promoting corporations, fairly than by means of a neighborhood legislation.
That methodology may be simpler to attain at first, however can take longer to enter impact as the town wants to attend for rolling contracts to be renewed or to purchase out current contracts. The Hague’s methodology will go into impact instantly in simply over three months, on January 1, 2025.
Electrek’s Take
Fossil gasoline corporations have spent greater than a century propagandizing to the general public about their advantages, and so they wouldn’t do it if it didn’t work.
Whereas oil firm advertisements greenwashing their contributions to renewable energy could appear innocent, there’s a motive they run these advertisements, and it’s not as a result of they genuinely wish to enhance the world. It’s as a result of they need you to suppose they’re higher than the opposite evil oil corporations, and to proceed giving cash to assist their environmental terrorism.
And advert bans like this do work. Tobacco – one other horribly dangerous product pushed by an evil trade – has been topic to advert bans, and people advert bans have helped to cut back smoking charges… so long as the bans are complete. Sadly, The Hague can solely ban advertisements in its personal purview, and doesn’t have management over the airwaves or the web. That will take a nationwide or supranational settlement, in order that is likely to be the subsequent step wanted to make sure that a ban like that is efficient.
Regardless, it’s about time that we cease oil corporations from participating within the decades-long marketing campaign of lies that they’ve engaged in. Good on the Hague for being the primary to do it, hopefully they could be a mannequin for a lot of different cities, international locations, and the world.
(By the way, The Hague can be the seat of the Worldwide Felony Court docket… however sadly this ban was handed by the native metropolis authorities, fairly than being enforceable with felony prosecutions worldwide on oil executives who’ve lied for many years whereas doing untold harm to humanity, animals and the local weather on the whole. Perhaps subsequent time (one can hope…))
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