02/05/2025
The city of The Hague has successfully defended in court its bold climate policy to ban advertising for fossil fuels, setting an important precedent for other cities around the world considering similar measures to combat climate change.
The Hague has become the first city in the world to implement a legal ban on fossil fuel advertising, which came into force on 1 January 2025. The ban covers advertising for carbon-intensive products and services such as petrol and diesel vehicles, aviation, cruise ships and fossil fuel-based energy contracts. The ban applies to public and private billboards, bus shelters and digital screens throughout the city.
The travel industry fights back
Dutch travel trade association ANVR and travel company TUI have taken the city to court over the new law, arguing that the ban infringes their freedom of expression. Frank Radstake, director of ANVR, said that companies and brands also have the right to freedom of expression and believes that the ban will have minimal impact on climate change. He also stressed that the travel industry is already moving towards more sustainable practices and should be allowed to communicate its efforts through advertising.
The Hague’s administration argued that commercial speech is not equivalent to freedom of expression and that municipalities can impose such restrictions for valid reasons like public health and environmental protection. Throughout the procedure, the administration remained convinced that the city would win its case in court.
A landmark case in the fight against climate change
Adopted in September 2024, the law supports The Hague’s goal of achieving climate neutrality by 2030 and is justified on the grounds that fossil fuel advertising undermines climate policy by normalising and encouraging unsustainable behaviour, thereby actively obstructing current efforts to solve the climate crisis.