Cities Ban Flight and SUV Ads to Fight Climate Change

When Isabella Kaminski returned to The Hague in 2025, something had quietly changed. The billboards advertising far-flung beach vacations and diesel cars had vanished from bus shelters and public spaces across the Dutch city.

The Hague became the first city in the world to legally ban advertising for high-carbon products in 2024. Now dozens of municipalities from Stockholm to Florence are following suit, clearing their streets of ads for flights, SUVs, cruise ships, and petrol cars.

"It's really a bit weird if in a public space we have a lot of fossil ads, while at the same time you say to people, 'We should reduce them,'" says Robert Barker, The Hague's deputy mayor. The city wanted to match its actions with its reputation as an international hub for peace and justice.

Amsterdam took the bold step further in January 2026, becoming the first capital city to pass such a ban into law. Starting May 2026, the city will restrict advertising not just for fossil fuel products but for meat as well.

The advertising industry spends billions promoting products that drive unsustainable consumption. A 2023 scientific paper for Dutch policymakers found that fossil fuel advertising "normalises and promotes unsustainable behaviour" while actively undermining climate policy.

UK cities are joining the movement too. Edinburgh banned ads for airlines, airports, and SUVs on council-owned spaces in 2024. Sheffield and Portsmouth quickly followed with similar policies.

The changes haven't come without pushback. Dutch travel operators challenged The Hague's ban in court, claiming it violated free speech rights. But a judge ruled the ban could legitimately help combat climate change and improve public health.

The Ripple Effect

The movement is gaining momentum across continents. Nineteen Australian jurisdictions have voted for or implemented similar bans. London, home to one of the world's largest advertising estates, is now reviewing its policies after Mayor Sadiq Khan agreed to explore greener advertising standards.

Campaign groups like Adfree Cities and World Without Fossil Fuel Ads are proving that local action can spark global change. What started as one Dutch city's experiment is becoming a worldwide shift in how we think about public space and climate responsibility.

Cities are proving that small policy changes can send powerful messages about the future we want to build.