UN Secretary General António Guterres has called for a global ban on fossil fuel advertising, in a major speech which has been described by industry activists as “historic”.
“Many in the fossil fuel industry have shamelessly greenwashed, even as they have sought to delay climate action with lobbying, legal threats, and massive ad campaigns,” Guterres said, speaking from New York to mark World Environment Day (5 June).
“They have been aided and abetted by advertising and PR companies – Mad Men fuelling the madness,” he continued.
Guterres also announced a new set of data from the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) which suggests that there is an 80% chance of the planet breaching 1.5C above pre-industrial times in at least one of the next five calendar years (which is the limit the Paris Agreement set to avoid the worst impact).
“We need an exit ramp off the highway to hell,” Guterres said.
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“Climate change is the mother of all stealth taxes paid by everyday and vulnerable countries and communities,” Guterres continued, slamming the fossil fuel sector and its tactics, “Meanwhile the Godfathers of climate change – the fossil fuel industry – rake in record profits and feast off trillions in taxpayer-funded subsidies.”
However, Guterres insisted that it is still possible to make a difference, and called on those in advertising and media to stop accepting fossil fuel clients.
He highlighted that advertising for products including tobacco are already in place, and said that accepting fossil fuel clients could be “toxic” for the brands of advertising and PR businesses.
The response: how industry insiders reacted
Responding to the speech, founder of Clean Creatives, Duncan Meisel described it as a “turning point” for the sector.
The group campaigns to stop advertisers taking on fossil fuel clients, and has had over 1,000 agencies sign its pledge to drop fossil fuels.
“There is no longer any cover for agencies to say that they are doing the right thing when working with polluters. Everyone knows this is wrong, and everyone needs to act,” he said.
“We are living through the hottest years in human history, and Secretary Guterres’s statements today show what a safe climate future could look like for the creative and PR industry.”
The Creatives for Climate network also described it as a “huge win for the climate movement and our collective efforts to dismantle the social license of the fossil fuel industry”.
