Ruling on World’s First Fossil Fuel Ad Ban in The Hague Comes As Survey Shows Widespread Popularity of the Policy
Majority of Dutch people believe in banning fossil fuel ads to slow spread of climate disinformation
The Hague, Netherlands – April 24, 2025 – Today, Climate Action Against Disinformation (CAAD) releases a survey showing that the Dutch people broadly support a fossil fuel ad ban, ahead of an expected court ruling tomorrow on The Hague’s ban on fossil fuel advertisements, the first of its kind in the world. The ban is backed by a Dutch NGO (Advertising Fossil Free) that aims to demonstrate the harm of this type of advertising.
The survey showed that 71% of Dutch people believe that a ban on fossil fuel advertising is an effective way to reduce the spread of harmful climate disinformation, while nearly 8 in 10 believe it would be effective to legally require Big Tech to stop spreading disinfo.
These findings come on the heels of a recent study published in Nature Climate Change, showing that active support for a ban on fossil fuel advertising is nearly twice as strong (47%) as opposition (25%) among Europeans.
“Polluters will fight climate policy every step of the way, so it’s always important to remember that the public is broadly supportive of climate action like The Hague’s ban on fossil fuel ads,” said CAAD communications co-chair Philip Newell. “As other local leaders are looking for opportunities to stand up to polluters, cleaning up public spaces by banning fossil fuel advertisements should be considered a popular opportunity.”
CAAD is a global coalition of over 50 leading climate and anti-disinformation organisations demanding robust, coordinated and proactive strategies to deal with the scale of the threat of climate misinformation and disinformation.
For more information, contact CAAD communications co-chair Philip Newell: [email protected]
