Amsterdam has become the first capital city in the world to ban climate-damaging advertising in public spaces.

Since 1 May, billboards promoting fossil fuel products and meat have been stripped from the streets – marking a new era of green marketing.

The ban, which was initially proposed in 2020, is part of the city’s targets to reach carbon neutrality by 2050 and to halve meat consumption during the same period.

Amsterdam’s bold move has paved the way for other European nations, with France recently enacting legislation to outlaw adverts from non-renewable energy companies.

What does Amsterdam’s fossil fuel advert ban cover?

On 22 January, Amsterdam city council approved a bid by green political party GroenLinks and animal welfare party Partij voor de Dieren to ban fossil fuel and meat adverts in public spaces and on the city’s public transport network.

The measure prohibits advertising for air travel, cruises and petrol-powered cars.

“The decision to ban fossil fuel advertising […] comes at a crucial moment in the fight against climate change,” Femke Sleegers, coordinator of Reclame Fossielvrij (Fossil Free Advertising) initiative, said when the ban was first proposed.

“Adverts that portray fossil fuels as normal worsen climate disruption and have no place in a city − or a country − that has complied with the Paris Agreement.”

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Amsterdam follows several other Dutch cities that have enforced similar bans, including Utrecht, The Hague, Zwolle, Delft and Nijmegen.

Groups behind the campaigns for the rulings have argued that fossil fuel adverts should be regulated in a similar way to those for tobacco and alcohol.

“Just as anti-smoking policies are ineffective when tobacco ads are everywhere, we can’t have effective climate policy while fossil fuel products are promoted on every street corner,” Sleegers said.

France goes national

According to Dutch news site NLTimes, climate minister Sophie Hermans is opposed to a nationwide rule, preferring local action.

In contrast, France became the first European country to ban adverts for fossil fuels under a new climate law in 2022.

The legislation prohibits advertising for all energy products related to fossil fuels, such as petrol products, energy from the combustion of coal mining, and hydrogen-containing carbons.

Companies that go against the new law could face fines of between €20,000 and €100,000, with repeat offenders paying double the amount.