Another Italian City Bans Fossil Fuel Ads, Joining Growing Global Movement

The City Council of Genoa this week became the second city in Italy to formally adopt a ban on fossil fuel advertising in public spaces. 

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The Italian city of Genoa on Tuesday joined a growing list of cities and municipalities around the world that are banning the advertisement of polluting products.

The motion, approved at the city’s council with 23 votes in favor and 14 opposed, includes a ban on ads for fossil-fuel based products with a high carbon footprint. It comes just months after Florence became the first Italian city to adopt a ban on fossil fuel advertising in public spaces, marking a historic turning point in Italy’s urban climate policies.

“Advertising plays a crucial role in shaping public perception and consumer habits. Supporting this motion means freeing the places we encounter in our daily lives—such as bus stops and train stations—from advertisements that normalize practices harmful to the public interest, people’s health, and the climate,” said Genoa City Councillor and lead proposer of the motion Francesca Ghio.

Andrea Sbarbaro, President of Cittadini Sostenibili, an Italian grassroot association active on the issue of fossil advertising, said he was “proud” of the decision. “Our region is sadly known for its vulnerability and the frequency of extreme weather events. Freeing our public spaces from fossil fuel advertising is not merely a symbolic gesture: it’s a vital step in promoting lifestyle models that align with the safety and the long-term future of our community,” he said.

Growing Global Movement

To date, over 50 cities, mostly European, have either restricted such ads in specific areas or tabled motions to introduce formal limitations. Some – including several Dutch municipalities, Stockholm, Edinburgh and Sydney – have banned them altogether.

The Hague, the administrative capital of the Netherlands, became the first city in the world to ban advertisements promoting high-carbon services such as cruise ships and air travel in 2024. Meanwhile, Spain could soon become the first country in the world to impose a nation-wide ban after the government; last year, the government approved a draft bill that would prohibit the advertising of fossil fuels, fossil-fuel-powered vehicles, and short-haul flights where more sustainable rail alternatives exist.

‘Shameless Greenwashing’

UN Secretary-General António Guterres has previously called on countries to ban fossil fuel advertising in the same way they restricted tobacco. “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. They have been aided and abetted by advertising and PR companies – Mad Men fuelling the madness,” Guterres said in a speech in 2024.

The UN chief said advertising and PR agencies, as well as news media and tech companies, are enabling planetary destruction and urged them to stop promoting fossil fuels and drop existing clients.

“Banning fossil fuel advertising and forcing the PR sector to cut ties with systemically polluting companies is a clear necessity for building a cleaner and fairer future,” ClientEarth Lawyer Johnny White said in response to Guterres’ call. “We can either have a rapid transition away from fossil fuels, or we can have fossil fuel industry influence continuing to permeate our societies and subvert climate action. We can’t have both.”

Featured image: Rainforest Action Network/Flickr.