Promoting the Apocalypse? The Legality of a Ban on Advertising for Fossil Fuels and Other Carbon-Intensive Products under European Law

Climate policy requires a steep and rapid reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, which are mainly caused by fossil fuels. Advertising that promotes fossil fuels and other carbon-intensive products undermines this objective. It normalises unsustainable consumption patterns and enables producers of harmful commodities to manipulate public discourse in order to delay or derail the energy transition – for example, by spreading misinformation, deflecting responsibility and promoting false solutions. For these reasons, there are increasing calls for a fossil fuel advertising ban along the lines of the tobacco advertising ban at both the European and the Member State level. This article evaluates the legality of such bans under European law, focusing on legislative competence, fundamental rights and internal market law. It finds that a fossil fuel advertising ban can be assumed to conform to the requirements of European law, especially if it is modelled after the tobacco advertising ban.