VICTORIA, B.C. - The B.C. Green Caucus is calling on the BC NDP to ban fossil fuel advertising in British Columbia.
Fossil fuel pollution causes 34,000 premature deaths in Canada every year. The climate crisis, and its impact on human health, will continue to worsen unless we take immediate action. One necessary step is to ban fossil fuel advertising. Just as tobacco advertising was banned because of its impacts to human health, it’s time to ban fossil fuel advertising.
The B.C. Green Caucus is proud to add their voice to a growing call to ban fossil fuel advertising, of which the Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment (CAPE) has taken a leadership role.
“Fossil fuel ads are everywhere in British Columbia - on public transit, the front page of the newspaper, all over social media,” said Sonia Furstenau, Leader of the B.C. Greens and MLA for Cowichan Valley. “Images of the Premier and the Energy and Mines Minister are in these ads, contributing to the spread of misleading and inaccurate content. How does the BC NDP rationalize being the symbol of LNG in the face of a climate emergency?”
Fossil fuels are the largest contributor to climate change. British Columbians are already experiencing the devastating impacts of global warming - from more frequent and intense wildfires, to flooding, droughts and heat waves. These climate events severely impact our physical health and safety, and our mental health. Many parents have to keep their children inside as wildfire smoke fills the skies each summer.
“The Provincial government has a responsibility to ensure key facts are presented accurately,” said Adam Olsen, MLA for Saanich North and the Islands. “That’s why I asked Minister Farnworth to amend the Business Practices and Consumer Protection Act to prohibit dangerous and irresponsible greenwashing.
“The BC NDP have made a baseless claim that LNG can be net-zero. They fail to factor in emissions released during drilling, fracking, flaring, transporting or burning the gas elsewhere. Methane, LNG’s primary ingredient, is 80 times more powerful in the short term than carbon dioxide. Allowing misleading fossil fuel ads contradicts our climate goals and misguides the public.”
Regulating misleading advertising is key in educating the public and ensuring political accountability in climate action. France, the U.K. and other jurisdictions have successfully regulated fossil fuel ads.
“The federal NDP has introduced legislation to prohibit fossil fuel advertising. It’s time for the BC NDP to protect people, not corporations,” continued Furstenau.
Fossil fuel marketing can heavily influence people's decisions and behaviors, potentially steering them away from necessary changes towards more sustainable practices. Fossil fuel advertising increases demand for the products that exacerbate the climate crisis and negatively impact our health. These ads create confusion at a critical point in efforts to combat the climate crisis.
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Media contact
JoJo Beattie
Press Secretary
B.C. Green Caucus
+1 250-882-6187 | [email protected]