Climate activists hijack car ads to highlight environmental impact

In cities across Europe, climate activists have vandalized automotive industry billboards in a coordinated campaign to highlight the environmental impact of the sector. In Brussels, the action was timed to coincide with the 100th anniversary of its International Motor Show.

Activists covered manufacturers’ posters with their own versions. Over 400 fake billboards have appeared in London, Berlin, Frankfurt, Paris and other cities and towns.

The action was organized by Extinction Rebellion, along with the groups Subvertisers’ International and Brandalism. Their plan was to target Toyota and BMW for their misleading advertisements and aggressive lobbying against climate policy.

In 2022, Influence Map ranked Toyota as the 10th worst company in the world for anti-climate lobbying, followed by BMW which ranked 16th overall.

Despite published advertisements promoting electric vehicles, in 2021 they accounted for just 0.2% of Toyota’s total car sales.

Campaigners say they want more robust government policies, such as “tobacco-like” advertising bans, to regulate the advertising of environmentally harmful products such as SUVs.

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