Amsterdam in a few months, he will start implementing a plan to preserve the climate, so there will no longer be advertisements for products and services that harm the climate in public places.
From May 1 of this year, it is prohibited to display advertisements for fossil fuels in public places or places visible from public space, e.g. for gasoline and diesel cars, airplane flights, cruises and gas heating, but also for meat products, writes Klima101.
In this way, Amsterdam becomes the first capital city in the world to ban the advertising of fossil fuels and meat in public areas.
Capital the Netherlands aspires to be climate neutral by the middle of the century. Accordingly, the city believes that public space must not be used to promote habits that are contrary to the community's environmental goals.
The goal is to reduce incentives for consumption with high greenhouse gas emissions through the ban.
Advertising is still possible
However, advertisements for fossil fuels and meat will still be able to be found on private properties and facades, e.g. hotels, inside shops and supermarkets, as well as on the Internet and television.
Despite the product-specific ban coming into effect in just a few months, it is said that corporate branding by fossil fuel companies can continue until the expiration of current contracts.
photos: ingrid gerkamaMILLIONS OF TOURISTS ON THE STREETS: Amsterdam
A complete ban on such corporate advertising in public spaces in Amsterdam is expected by April 2028
Nevertheless, the Dutch sent a clear message: in their capital, public space serves a vision of the future, not the promotion of pollution. This "revolution" did not happen overnight, the initial proposal was presented back in 2020.
Amsterdam is not the first city
Although Amsterdam is the first capital to ban "fossil" advertisements, it is not the first city that dared to "silence" them, but it was its neighbor about an hour's drive away - The Hague. There, advertisements for polluting cars, planes and cruisers have been banned since January 1 last year.
These cities from the Netherlands are not alone, and the Belgian municipality of Saint-Gilles in the Brussels region is banning fossil fuel advertisements, and the latest news comes from Florence, which recently became the first Italian city to pass the ban, passing the decision by 18 to three votes.
To date, over 50 cities and municipalities – mostly in Europe – have either restricted such ads in certain areas or submitted proposals to introduce formal restrictions. Some of them like Amsterdam or e.g. Edinburgh banned them completely.
This wave is not only sweeping cities, but also entire countries. Back in 2022, France became the first country to ban fossil fuel advertisements at the national level, while the Spanish government approved a draft of a similar law in July 2025.
Amsterdam will not be the only capital city without fossil fuel advertisements for a long time. In the summer of 2026, the same ban will be implemented in the Swedish capital, Stockholm.
