Ban fossil fuel adverts to prevent ‘climate hell’, says UN chief

Adverts for fossil fuel companies should be banned to prevent “climate hell”, the head of the UN has said.

António Guterres, UN Secretary General, branded oil and gas companies the “godfathers of climate chaos” and called for urgent action to cut emissions more quickly.

In a special address at the American Museum of Natural History in New York, Mr Guterres said the fossil fuel industry should face an advertising ban, similar to those rolled out against tobacco.

He also called on media and Big Tech firms to stop accepting adverts from highly polluting companies.

Mr Guterres said: “Many in the fossil fuel industry have shamelessly greenwashed, even as they have sought to delay climate action – with lobbying, legal threats, and massive ad campaigns.”

The UN has previously railed against the fossil fuel industry, though the call for a clampdown on advertising is the strongest rhetoric to date.

Regulators in the UK and EU have pledged to crack down on misleading environmental claims and so-called “greenwashing”, but have not implemented a complete ban.

However, some councils have begun rolling out advertising bans following pressure from campaign groups.

Edinburgh City Council last week banned adverts for fossil fuel firms, airlines and SUVs amid concerns they undermine efforts to cut emissions.

Other UK councils including Sheffield, Cambridgeshire, Coventry and Somerset have implemented similar measures.

The comments came as figures from the EU’s climate change monitoring service confirmed that global temperatures stood at record highs for each of the last 12 months.

A separate report from the UN also found there is now an 80pc chance that the annual average global temperature increase from pre-industrial levels will exceed 1.5 degrees celsius at least once in the last five years.

In an emotive speech to coincide with World Environment Day, Mr Guterres took aim at the fossil fuel industry for its role in rising global temperatures.

He urged global financial institutions to stop bankrolling fossil fuels and instead invest in green energy, while he said fossil fuel companies should face a windfall tax.

The UN chief also reiterated concerns about subsidies paid out to fossil fuel companies in many countries, which help to keep prices low for consumers.

He said: “Climate change is the mother of all stealth taxes paid by everyday people and vulnerable countries and communities.

“Meanwhile, the godfathers of climate chaos – the fossil fuel industry – rake in record profits and feast off trillions in taxpayer-funded subsidies.”

Mr Guterres warned time was running out to reverse climate change and called for a 30pc cut in global fossil fuel production and use by 2030.

He said: “We are playing Russian roulette with the planet. We need an exit ramp off the highway to climate hell.”

Fossil fuel companies have said they are committed to producing affordable energy while tackling climate change.

The International Association of Oil & Gas Producers has been contacted for comment.