Why are some cities banning fossil fuel ads?

From The Climate Question by BBC World Service

April 5, 2026 · 23 min

About this episode

This episode explores the impact of banning fossil fuel advertisements in cities and its potential effects on climate change.

How much does advertising influence what we buy and how we think? A growing number of cities are restricting adverts for fossil fuel products, from flights and petrol cars to gas heating. From May, Amsterdam is set to become the first capital city to do so. In 2024, the UN Secretary-General António Guterres called on countries to introduce similar bans worldwide. In this episode of The Climate Question, Jordan Dunbar asks whether banning fossil fuel adverts is a good idea and whether it makes any difference when it comes to fighting climate change. He speaks to Marco Silva from BBC Verify about the role advertising plays in shaping public attitudes, and Anna Holligan, the BBC's correspondent in The Hague, explains how the restrictions in The Netherlands actually work. Guests: Anna Holligan – BBC correspondent in The Hague Marco Silva – Senior journalist, BBC Verify Got a question or comment? email us at theclimatequestion@bbc.com Production team: Grace Braddock, Diane Richardson, Nik Sindle, Melanie Stewart-Smith Sound Engineer: Tom Brignell and James Piper Production Coordinator: Brenda Brown Editor: Simon Watts Picture: Getty Images

People in this episode

Host: Jordan Dunbar

Guests: Marco Silva, Anna Holligan

Topics covered

fossil fuel advertising
climate change
city regulations
public attitudes
advertising influence

Keywords

fossil fuel ads
climate action
advertising
public perception
city bans

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: BBC Verify, BBC

Places: Amsterdam, The Netherlands