Oil and gas energy companies have been buying up ads throughout London's public transit systems, sparking ire over their attempts to influence politicians.
What's happening?
Environmental news site DeSmog reported on the campaigns. According to its findings, the public Transport for London (TfL) network has displayed over 240 advertising campaigns from major oil and gas companies since Mayor Sadiq Khan established "zero carbon city" goals in 2018. That number more than quintuples when including energy suppliers that still use fossil fuels in their offerings.
What's more, the ads were concentrated in Westminster and St. James's Park underground stations, which are frequented by politicians, government workers, and political advisors, DeSmog reports.
This comes at a time when oil and gas companies are already being monitored for their misleading advertising, including many greenwashing campaigns that suggest oil is "low carbon" or that clean energy is a higher priority for the companies than it truly is.
"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," DeSmog quoted U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.
Earlier this summer, Guterres had called for a global ban on fossil fuel advertising, saying that the advertising and PR companies were "enablers to planetary destruction."
Why is this advertising harmful?
"These campaigns definitely have an effect on politicians," Nicholas Cosburn, a former parliamentary assistant, told DeSmog. "I think being able to advertise in Westminster station is as close as you can get to being able to advertise in Parliament itself."
"There's no doubt that advertising has an impact on people's behaviour, on the image of companies, and has the ability to directly affect decision makers like me," agreed former London Assembly Member (and recent Member of Parliament electee) Sian Berry, who labeled the campaigns as "insidious."
Even if the ads don't sway politicians — and nobody can prove if they do or do not — other environmental advocates are concerned about the messaging it conveys to voters.
"TfL risks its climate commitments being completely derailed by the fossil fuel promo soaking its network," DeSmog quoted Veronica Wignall of Adfree Cities. "Continuing to allow the fossil fuel industry to broadcast across London's tubes, buses, and billboards undermines the Mayor's climate goals by allowing some of the world's top polluters to garner public and political support. This support then translates into delayed action, diluted regulation, and more emissions."
What's being done about these ads?
Opponents of the ads are arguing that Mayor Khan has already established a precedent for banning harmful campaigns, pointing to his decision to restrict advertising for certain unhealthy foods in 2019. A subsequent government study showed that the caloric intake of those foods in London dropped significantly the following year.
Join our free newsletter for good news and useful tips, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.
Cool Picks
