Oil rigs on water

More than 18,000 people have signed a petition calling for the UK government to ban advertising for fossil fuels. According to the petition, fossil fuel advertising ‘encourages’ their use and the industry’s sponsorship of events and institutions “promotes a positive reputation” and “creates a social licence of trust”.

The petition goes on to make the case that this should be ended in light of the industry’s role in driving the climate crisis. It reads: “Fossil fuel advertising has a history of ‘greenwashing’ and a recent report identifies £4bn+ spent by [fossil fuel] companies on 205 active sports sponsorship deals. There is plenty of evidence that [fossil fuels] must be rapidly phased out to mitigate the worst impacts of climate breakdown. I think that preventing the companies’ efforts to enhance their social capital and normalise their activities would proactively help address the climate crisis and mitigate future harm to human health.”

The petition is hosted on the official parliament petition platform. Petitions hosted on the platform which receive over 100,000 signatures can trigger a debate in parliament. If they receive 10,000 signatures, they receive a formal response from the UK government.

In its response, the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero said: “The government is committed to reducing emissions from high carbon products and will continue to bring forward proposals to do so. There are currently no plans to restrict fossil fuel advertising.”

Image credit – Carol Highsmith – Creative Commons