In the Hague, Netherlands, more than 20 environmental groups launched a campaign calling for the ban of fossil f uel advertisements and sponsorships in the EU similar to tobacco ads. More than 80 Greenpeace activists blocked the entranced to Shell's oil refinery in Rotterdam to draw attention to this initiative. With COP26 in the backdrop, fossil fuel advertising bans are gaining traction, with Amsterdam imposing a ban on the metro's network on ads linked to fossil products such as gas-powered cars and airline tickets.
The campaign needs to gather 1 million signature in a year and if it succeeds, the EU's
Executive Commission has to look into the request. You can sign the petition here. The law would consist in an internal market regulation aimed at enhancing consumer protection and high level fo public health and environmental protection.
Other similar climate campaigns include Ads Not Fit to Print who are demanding that the New York Times stop promoting fossil fuels - something that the Guardian did in 2020. another example is Fossil Fuel Free Media is a group that strenghtens the movement to end fossil fuels through creative communications.
There is an evident gap in the fossil fuel's industry to advertise fossil products, and the lack of resources given to environmental groups to do the same in getting their message out there. We are exposed to advertisements multiple times a day, whether that is through our phones, social media, or our computers. The way that we come to understand fossil products is done through our own research, but not so much so through the advertisements that we could be seeing everyday. Ending fossil product aadvertisements is a means of dismantling the fossil fuel industry's ability to push back environmental campaigns using multi-million advertisements, and by spreading misinformation.