Hundreds of fossil fuel ads have run on the Transport of London (TfL) network in the six years since Mayor Sadiq Khan pledged to make the UK’s capital city net zero by 2050.
Analysis from De Smog has revealed that tube stations and buses have hosted more than 240 advertising campaigns from oil and gas companies since 2018. This rises to 1,275 when including household energy suppliers that use fossil fuels, such as E.ON, British Gas, and Scottish and Southern Energy.
Khan – who has since revised London’s net zero target to 2030 – is now being called upon to ban fossil fuel industry ads from across the entire public transport network.
Campaigners such as AdFree Cities say the promotion of these oil and gas firms on the TfL ad network risk derailing the capital’s climate targets and undermining TfL’s sustainable image.
“TfL risks its climate commitments being completely derailed by the fossil fuel promo soaking its network,” said co-director of the campaign group Veronica Wignall.
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“Continuing to allow the fossil fuel industry to broadcast across London’s tubes, buses, and billboards undermines the Mayor’s climate goals by allowing some of the world’s top polluters to garner public and political support.
“This support then translates into delayed action, diluted regulation, and more emissions.”
De Smog conducted the research using FOI requests, finding that oil giant BP had placed 168 campaigns across the network during the 19/20 financial year alone.
It also found that some fossil fuel advertisers – including BP, Shell and Offshore Energies UK – had specifically requested to place politically-focused ads near Parliament, at Westminster and St. James’s Park tube stations.
Next level gas lighting from @bp_plc at Westminster Tube Station. @JustStop_Oil pic.twitter.com/MC6wcFPUHc
— Indigo Rumbelow (@IndigoRumbelow) September 11, 2023
A TfL spokesperson said:” All advertising copy on our network is reviewed on a case-by-case basis against TfL’s published advertising policy which also requires advertisers to comply with Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) Guidance and Committees of Advertising Practice (CAP) Codes.
“Advertising copy pertaining to fossil fuel extraction, or copy submitted for brands affiliated with fossil fuel extraction, must meet the environmental guidance of the advertising industry regulators.”
Green Party MP Sian Berry – who won the Brighton Pavilion seat in yesterday’s general election –commented: “There’s no doubt that advertising has an impact on people’s behaviour, on the image of companies, and has the ability to directly affect decision makers like me.”
“All of these things are harmful and will undermine TfL’s climate goals.”
In the past year, the Advertising Standards Authority has banned several ads over the past 12 months for making misleading claims about their environmental credentials.
