5 good news stories about climate change
It’s giving optimism.
Between the land it takes to raise the animals and all those methane-loaded cow burps, meat accounts for more than 60% of all food production-related greenhouse gas emissions. To get peoples’ minds off meat, the city of Haarlem in the Netherlands is banning all ads for meat in public spaces.
The ban will go into effect in 2024 and will bar ads for meat-related products from buses, shelters, and other screens located throughout the city. It’ll also ban ads for fossil fuels, flights, and gas-guzzling cars. No one is going to be stopped from eating meat or driving around, but they won’t see ads for it, which might help diminish the reliance on these greenhouse gas-intensive practices.
The fossil fuel industry spent over $1.4 billion between 2008 and 2017 on public relations campaigns alone. But those ads won’t play in France anymore, as the country became the first in Europe to ban advertisements from fossil fuel companies.
Under the new rules, any ads that promote fossil fuel products, coal, or any carbon-releasing fuel source will be given a thumbs down if they try to run in the country. Violators will face fines of up to $100,000 per offense, with fines potentially doubling for repeat offenders. The move will strip the industry of its primary tool for greenwashing.
