Helsinki has become the latest European capital to support a ban on advertising for all types of fossil fuels and products with high embedded carbon. A previous attempt to introduce a moratorium on such advertising was made in 2021, but at that time the city council failed to secure a sufficient number of votes.
This was reported by Euronews.
Prohibition spectrum
It is not yet clear exactly what will no longer be displayed on advertising hoardings in the Finnish capital. A precise list of restrictions is due to be published before the next contract. However, campaigners are hopeful that, at some point, the city’s streets will finally be rid of billboards relating to aviation, shipping, construction, tourism and, of course, fossil fuels themselves.
"Cities cannot continue to work towards reducing emissions whilst allowing their own advertising spaces to encourage more air travel and the consumption of fossil fuels," emphasised Niklas Kaskeala, an activist from Helsinki and a board member of the organisation "Let’s Protect Finland’s Winters".
Environmental groups realise that such advertising will not disappear from the capital overnight, as it is quite a lengthy process. However, this decision sets out clear environmental guidelines.
"Thanks to this decision, Helsinki has become the second capital city in Northern Europe, after Stockholm, to move towards such a ban. A ban on fossil fuel advertising is not a question of ‘if’, but of ‘when’," added Anna Jonsson, co-founder of the non-governmental organisation ‘New Weather Sweden’.
EcoPolitic reported that, from May 2026, a number of environmental advertising bans were introduced in Amsterdam. It is now prohibited to advertise petrol-powered cars, meat products and air travel there.
