The Hague has made history as the first city in the world to ban advertisements for oil and large energy-consuming industries, including air travel and cruise ships. The city’s council officially adopted the proposal on Friday, with the ban set to take effect on January 1, 2025.
The Hague is home to the Netherlands’ Parliament, the Supreme Court, and several major international courts. The city’s decision to introduce the ban comes in response to a call from United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, who urged governments earlier this year to prohibit such advertisements.
Guterres has been vocal in criticizing the fossil fuel industry, accusing it of misleading the public through “greenwashing” while actively delaying meaningful climate action. In June, Guterres condemned oil companies for profiting from the climate crisis, stating, “Many in the fossil fuel industry have shamelessly greenwashed, even as they have sought to delay climate action – with lobbying, legal threats, and massive ad campaigns.”
He also described climate change as “the mother of all stealth taxes,” a burden shouldered by ordinary people and vulnerable communities around the world. At the same time, Guterres accused the fossil fuel industry of reaping record profits and benefiting from trillions in taxpayer-funded subsidies. He pointed to advertising and PR companies, which he said have played a key role in promoting these industries. “Mad Men – remember the TV series – fuelling the madness,” Guterres remarked, urging them to stop contributing to environmental destruction.
The UN Secretary-General has consistently used his platform to denounce fossil fuel companies and demand urgent action. Last month, he called on world leaders to phase out oil and gas from their economies and to halt new exploration of hydrocarbons.
During a meeting of Pacific Island leaders in Tonga, Guterres described the situation as dire, emphasizing the urgent threat posed by rising sea levels. “This is a crazy situation: rising seas are a crisis entirely of humanity’s making. A crisis that will soon swell to an almost unimaginable scale, with no lifeboat to take us back to safety,” he warned.
The Hague’s groundbreaking decision marks a significant step in global efforts to reduce the influence of fossil fuel industries and their role in exacerbating the climate crisis.