Public 'constantly bombarded' with ads for polluting cars amid climate crisis, Dáil told

Green Party TD Brian Leddin said 'almost constant' adverts on radio, television, and podcasts flies in the face of the action needed to avert situations like the current European heatwave becoming locked in as normal for the future.

The "bombardment" of car advertising in Ireland and beyond is "insidious" in the context of the current climate crisis, according to the chair of the Oireachtas climate committee.

Green Party TD Brian Leddin said "almost constant" adverts on radio, television, and podcasts flies in the face of the action needed to avert situations like the current European heatwave becoming locked in as normal for the future.

Various bodies such as the EU's Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S) and the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) have been warning in recent months that Europe is warming twice as quickly as the rest of the world, while Irish scientists such as Maynooth University professor of geography climate change Peter Thorne warned the returning El Niño weather phenomenon would lead to record temperatures.

The intensity of the current European heatwave has even caught many environmental scientists and campaigners by surprise, leading to calls for an immediate ramping-up of national economies divesting from reliance on fossil fuels. Picture: AP /Manu Fernandez

However, the intensity of the current European heatwave has even caught many environmental scientists and campaigners by surprise, leading to calls for an immediate ramping-up of national economies divesting from reliance on fossil fuels.

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Transport in Ireland remains one of the biggest culprits for emissions, data consistently show.

Mr Leddin said advertising in the car industry should be considered alongside alcohol and tobacco in terms of public health and child protection.

He pointed to the passing in France of laws that will apply so-called "carbon labels" to products, as well as the banning from 2028 of adverts for the most polluting vehicles.

Electric vehicles are not going to be enough. We need as many people as we can to shift to bikes, e-bikes, public transport, and walking. 

"You cannot listen to radio programmes or podcasts these days without being almost constantly bombarded by ads for various cars. 

"We've seen the effects of climate change before our eyes in Europe over recent days. We need more urgent action," he said.

Data from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) last week showed transport emissions rose by 6% in one year, with volumes back to 95% of pre-covid levels.

EPA programme manager Mary Frances Rochford said the rise in greenhouse gases from transport “highlights the fact that a growing economy, with high employment, will continue to produce emissions if we do not break the link and decouple emissions from increased activity by using cleaner and alternatives sources of energy”.

Overall higher transport activity — both private cars and freight transport — is eroding the impact of electric vehicles, the EPA warned.

It said in 2022, there were 72,000 battery electric (BEVs) and plug-in hybrid electric (PHEVs), which is about 37% of the Climate Action Plan target for 2025.