Should Europe ban meat billboards? Climate psychologist weighs in

illuminem summarises for you the essential news of the day, reviewed by our editorial team. Read the full piece on Euronews or enjoy below:

🗞️ Driving the news: European cities are increasingly restricting advertising for high-emission products, including meat
• Amsterdam introduced a public-space ban on meat and fossil fuel advertisements on May 1, 2026, prompting wider debate over whether similar measures could encourage more sustainable diets across Europe

🔭 The context: Climate psychologist Linda Aspey says advertising can influence food choices through repetition and by making particular behaviours feel normal
• Research cited in the article suggests advertising restrictions can affect purchasing: Transport for London’s junk-food advertising restrictions were associated with an estimated nearly 7% decline in weekly household purchases
• However, Amsterdam has not yet published data showing how its meat-advertising ban has affected consumption

🌍 Why it matters for the planet: Food and agriculture account for approximately one-third of global greenhouse gas emissions
• Shifting towards plant-rich diets could reduce agricultural emissions, including methane from livestock, while helping address land-use pressures, deforestation and biodiversity loss

⏭️ What’s next: Meat-advertising restrictions could become one part of a broader climate strategy, alongside changes to agricultural subsidies and greater access to plant-based foods
• Their effectiveness wouldl depend on how advertising rules interact with price, taste, habits, culture and other factors shaping food choices

💬 One quote: “What the evidence does show is that advertising typically shapes what feels normal for most of us, to varying degrees, which in turn can shape behaviours,” said Linda Aspey, a climate psychology specialist and Climate Psychology Alliance board member

📈 One stat: 77% — the share of the EU’s Common Agricultural Policy subsidies allocated to animal-sourced foods in 2020, amounting to approximately €39 billion out of €51 billion, according to a Foodrise report cited by Euronews

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