Amsterdam has banned all public advertisements for meat and fossil fuels since May 1 in a world first as it aims to discourage public spending on goods linked to greenhouse gas emissions, according to reports.<\/p>\n
The ban results from efforts by Anke Bakker, Amsterdam group leader for the Party for the Animals, the BBC reported<\/a>. GreenLeft, another Dutch political party, also supported the legislation, according to<\/a> CBS News.<\/p>\n Bakker told the BBC that the ban would give people the freedom to make their choices, remove the incessant visual nudge toward impulse buying, and indicate that cheap meat and long-haul travel no longer signify sophistication. \u201c[W]e are trying to get the big companies not to tell us all the time what we need to eat and buy,\u201d she said in part, according to the outlet.<\/p>\n \u201cIf you spend lots of tax money and have lots of policies trying to manage climate change in Amsterdam, why would you rent out your public walls to exactly the opposite?\u201d said Anneke Veenhoff, a city councillor from GreenLeft, according to CBS News.<\/p>\n \u201cIf you\u2019re trying to get rid of an addiction, it\u2019s not very handy to see it everywhere,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n The ban also affects fish products and long-haul air travel and cruises, the CBS reported.<\/p>\n f<\/p>\n The ban has taken effect in Amsterdam\u2019s public places, as one of its busiest tram stops now sports advertisements promoting the Rijksmuseum, the Netherlands\u2019 national museum, and a piano concert, in place of those promoting chicken nuggets, SUVs and low-budget holidays, according to the BBC.<\/p>\n Amsterdam<\/a> thus reportedly becomes the first capital city in the world to ban meat and fossil fuel<\/a> advertising from its streetscapes.<\/p>\n Amsterdam\u2019s advertising market had been dominated by advertisements for clothing brands, movie posters and mobile phones, with fossil fuel and meat ad-spend comprising approximately 4% and 0.1% respectively, according to the BBC. (RELATED: Climate Change Concern Plummets In Big Cities, Poll Finds)<\/a><\/p>\n The Hague<\/a>, another Dutch city, became the first city worldwide to ban all advertisements for oil and gas as well as aviation and cruise ships, encouraged by a call for such bans by the U.N. Secretary-General Ant\u00f3nio Guterres, according to<\/a> The Guardian.<\/p>\n