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People passing through Amsterdam’s busy metro system will no longer see ads for greenhouse gas-intensive products such as gas-powered cars and cheap flights around Europe.

The Amsterdam City Council instituted a ban on these ads in the city’s subway system, which advocates hope will pave the way for larger, more comprehensive ad bans across the Netherlands and beyond.

This particular ban will impact the hundreds of large-screen TV ads that play to the 4 million weekly passengers that use the metro each week.

The stories in those ads will no longer promote a fossil-fuel-loving lifestyle. About 10% of the ads will be discontinued, such as ads for petrol-powered rental car or SUV models.

“It's not just about the ban of fossil fuels. That was just a first step,” van Wilsem said. “It’s about opening up more ad space and giving benefits to advertisers to tell how we move forward in changing the environment.” said Radjen van Wilsem, the chief executive officer of CS Digital Media, the company that places ads in the metro.

While Amsterdam is the first place to do this, the French Parliament is considering a similar ban. Activists in the UK, Sweden, Finland and Canada are pushing for one, too.

Source: The World

https://www.pri.org/stories/2021-05-13/amsterdam-bans-fossil-fuel-ads-its-metro

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