We took over Southwark station calling for London to end ads promoting pollution

This month Badvertising rolled out its new ‘official’ campaign across Southwark tube station. Posters took over station and ticket barrier ad space, calling on London to end adverts that promote pollution and follow the example of tobacco ad bans in the past. Artwork created by Matt Bonner, highlighting the massive climate and health impacts of adverts for fossil fuels, frequent flights and SUVs. 

In 2024 a Desmog report revealed how huge polluters - including BP, Shell, SSE, British Gas, EDF, and Offshore Energies UK - placed targeted ad campaigns at Westminster or St. James’s Park tube stations. These stations have a high footfall of politicians, political advisors, and civil servants, and multiple campaigns used the ‘station domination’ tactic, which typically includes at least 28 posters and a branded takeover of all ticket barriers. In keeping with tradition, we decided to take over Southwark station, the closest to Transport for London’s main offices, Palestra House, to invite the Mayor of London and his team to end ads promoting major polluters, and climate and air pollution across the transport network. 

TfL already has a precedent, as a junk food advertising ban was introduced in 2019. Analysis from the University of Sheffield and the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine found that the ban directly led to 94,867 fewer cases of obesity than expected, alongside 2,857 fewer cases of diabetes, and 1,915 fewer cases of cardiovascular disease. Campaigners argue a high carbon ad ban would have an even larger impact. A 2025 report from the Royal College of Physicians found that air pollution contributed to 30,000 deaths in the UK in 2025 and cost the UK upwards of £27 billion annually – and may be as much as £50 billion when wider impacts, such as dementia, are accounted for.

The Mayor himself, when asked about the junk food ad ban said, "the ground-breaking restrictions we introduced could not only influence behaviour and ultimately save lives but could directly save our NHS hundreds of millions of pounds.” It’s time for the same to be applied to major polluters.

Jemima Hartshorn, founder and director Mums for Lungs said: 

“I'm excited to see this campaign! As global heating targets have been missed and thousands suffer because of hurricanes, and closer to home, in London, thousands of lives are lost every year to air pollution, we urge TfL to act responsibly and coherently and ambitiously - in its advertising too. Fossil fuels, diesel, SUVs and wood burning need to be phased out in London, for our children and grandchildren. There is no place in London for their promotion.”

This also coincided with the C40 World Mayors’ Conference taking place in Rio this month, urging city leaders to act as examples of climate leadership. The C40 cities network, which the Mayor is currently co-chairing, promotes guidance for its members on why and how to restrict carbon-intensive advertising in cities.

Andrew Simms, co-director of the New Weather Institute, said: 

“If someone saw a cigarette advert on London’s transport they would be shocked. But travellers are surrounded by adverts for high carbon, heavily polluting products, companies and lifestyles. The air pollution alone from burning fossil fuels kills about as many as tobacco, and the ads promote the flights and SUVs that burn the fuel. Unless London’s advertising policies align with its clean air and climate commitments, they will undermine them. The Mayor has a chance to save lives, lead the world by ending ads that promote pollution, and join other cities already taking this step.”

Badvertising’s creative director Leo Murray said, 

“At a time when lesser politicians are trying to pretend away the escalating climate crisis, it is fantastic to see our Mayor providing global leadership on this issue in Rio in the run up to this year’s UN climate summit. But back here at home, London’s buses, tubes and trains are being used to push us to burn more fossil fuels. Marketing by major corporate polluters creates headwinds that threaten to push us off course to our net zero targets, but as the ultimate boss of Transport for London, the Mayor has the power to stop these headwinds on London’s transport networks today if he chooses.”