What are the ultimate goals of this campaign?

Our ultimate goals include the implementation of a federal ban on all forms of fossil fuel advertising (which would require a new Act of Parliament), and ad bans at the municipal level, like in Amsterdam and other cities.

In the meantime, we plan to challenge the false claims being made by fossil fuel advertising through regulatory bodies like the Competition Bureau of Canada and Advertising Standards Canada.

We also aim to spread greater awareness among the public about the negative impacts of fossil fuels on human health and the climate, and the ways in which fossil fuel companies are trying to deny those impacts and portray themselves and their products as “green.” We want everyone to be able to see through and call out the false claims being made by fossil fuel industry advertising.

Fossil fuels may lead to negative health effects, but we use them for transportation, heating, and many other important needs. Isn’t it unfair to restrict the advertising of fossil fuels when we rely on them?

While it is true that we currently use fossil fuels in many areas of our lives, this reality is quickly changing. Alternatives exist in the form of renewable energy which is cheaper, healthier, and does not create catastrophic climate change. Renewable energy is the cheapest option for power in most of the world, and prices are dropping rapidly.

Following the recommendations of the world’s climate scientists, Canada has made a commitment to reach net-zero emissions by 2050, and to reduce emissions by 40-45% below 2005 levels by 2030. 70 other countries around the world have set similar targets.

The federal government is introducing many measures to meet this target by replacing fossil fuels with clean alternatives, including banning the sale of gas-powered cars starting in 2035. Canadian municipalities are beginning to ban natural gas hook-ups for new buildings and homes. At the same time, more and more programs, rebates, and other supports are in place for people to replace their cars, homes, and energy systems with clean renewables. Projections from the International Energy Agency show that reaching net-zero will result in most households spending less money on energy.

What is “greenwashing”?

Greenwashing means making exaggerated, misleading, or false claims that minimize a product, service, or company’s impact on the environment. This might include claims around being “climate friendly” or “green,” or having “lower emissions,” or using images of nature, the planet, and the like to convey an image of being environmentally-friendly. Companies greenwash in order to encourage consumers to choose their product or service over others. This is harmful to consumers, who may be led into buying something on the basis of false information, in some cases also exposing themselves or others to dangerous pollutants from a product they believe is “clean.” It also creates unfair competition for companies producing truly environmentally-friendly products.

Have fossil fuel ads been banned in other places?

Yes!

France has passed a law that bans ads for fossil fuel energy, like petrol and diesel. It is expected to start being enforced in the summer of 2022. It will also ban the advertising of gas-powered vehicles starting in 2028.

The City of Amsterdam has banned fossil fuel advertisements, including in the subway system and festival sponsorship.

North Somerset, Norwich, and Liverpool have all passed motions to develop policies that limit advertising for products that harm public health and the environment.

In 2021, New York City filed a consumer protection lawsuit against Exxon, Shell, BP and the American Petroleum Institute to ban false advertising and deceptive trade practices in the city.

In Regina, a proposal was informally passed by city council that would have added fossil fuel companies to a list of industries that can't advertise or sponsor city events or buildings. However, it failed to pass an official vote after intense backlash and pressure from the industry.

There are currently many more motions, initiatives, lawsuits, and campaigns gathering momentum around the world.

There is also a movement called Clean Creatives that is encouraging advertising agencies to commit to stop taking contracts that promote coal, oil, or gas.

Everyone knows to be skeptical of advertising, so why ban fossil fuel ads? Can’t people make up their own minds?

While you might not feel your choices are unduly influenced by advertising, overall, it is very clear that advertising works.

In 1965, half of Canadian adults smoked. Today only 15% do. Quebec is the only province that restricts junk food advertising to kids. As a result, spending on fast food in Quebec has decreased by 13% and the province has the lowest rates of child obesity.

Oil companies spend billions of dollars to portray themselves as green, while research has shown that the increase in SUVs, trucks, and vans on our roads (despite many people not actually needing a vehicle of that size) can be connected to advertising. A single Audi advertising campaign led to an additional 132,700 more car purchases than would otherwise have occurred.

Even if we don’t buy the product they’re selling, ads influence our culture and expectations. Fossil fuel ads normalize the continued use of fossil fuels at a time when our society should be moving away from them, and when the cost of renewables is cheaper than ever before.

Why is the Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment (CAPE) leading this campaign? What does this have to do with health?

In the 1970s and 80s, physicians were instrumental in leading a public health campaign to ban tobacco advertising in Canada. Thanks to those efforts, cigarette ads are seen as relics of the past, and thousands of lives have been saved. But, in 2018, air pollution from burning fossil fuels was responsible for about 1 in 5 deaths worldwide, including 34,000 in Canada. Climate change is also impacting people’s health through heat waves, forest fires, and more, and these impacts are only going to get worse.

CAPE is bringing together thousands of trusted health professionals to call for this fossil fuel ad-ban because just like cigarettes, fossil fuels are a threat to public health.

What does your suggested ban include?

Our proposed ban has three main targets: fossil fuel companies, fossil fuel-powered utilities, and gas-powered cars. Together, these sectors amount to 63% of Canada’s greenhouse gas emissions. They are also areas where practical alternatives exist: renewable energy, electric cars, and public and active transit.

We are proposing:

A comprehensive ban on advertising by fossil fuel industries, products, and services (such as gasoline and gas utilities) and internal combustion engine vehicles.

A robust regulatory response to address misleading environmental claims by fossil fuel companies.

Regulations mandating the disclosure of the health and environmental risks associated with fossil fuel production and use.

What about free speech? Isn’t this restrictive of the rights of these companies to operate? What about consumer choice?

Risks to public health are not protected under freedom of expression – this is something tobacco companies already tried to argue, and lost. In 1995, the Supreme Court of Canada ruled that a national public health problem of substantial and pressing concern overrides narrow corporate interests of profit.

Consumer choice advocates defend advertising as necessary for new businesses to get their foothold in the market. For example, one study found that in Quebec, where advertising aimed at persons under 13 is banned, consumers bought a higher proportion of the more established breakfast cereals in the province. Yet for fossil fuel products the consumer choice argument is almost moot. Most natural gas companies are monopolies; and there are not many newcomers in the gas-powered car market.

There are also already prohibitions and restrictions on the advertising of many other products, especially ones that can be harmful to our health. In Canada, there are advertising restrictions and prohibitions on tobacco, cannabis, alcohol, gambling, credit or financial products, therapeutic goods and services, prescription drugs, natural health products, food, lotteries, and promotional contests. Given that fossil fuel air pollution affects the health of thousands of Canadians a year, it would make logical sense to add them to that list.

What can I do to help?

As a first step, sign on to our open letter to the federal government calling for a fossil fuel ad-ban, and share it on social media!

Sign up for our newsletter to stay up to date of many forthcoming opportunities to get involved as the campaign unfolds—watch for our toolkit on how to submit a complaint to the Competition Bureau if you see an example of misleading or false fossil fuel advertising.

If you are a health professional, a member of an organization, or an individual with ideas for the campaign, please get in touch!