RTÉ should “show leadership” by phasing out the advertising of fossil fuels and fossil fuel products, an Oireachtas committee has recommended.
In a report on the role of media and communications, the Oireachtas environment and climate action committee also recommended setting up a news agency to provide “rolling news coverage” on environmental issues.
It based its 17 recommendations on meetings dating back to 2022 with RTÉ, then-media regulator Broadcasting Authority of Ireland, the ESRI, climate activists, and other experts.
At a meeting last month, RTÉ told the committee that around 11% of its advertising revenue comes from fossil fuel products adverts, over half of which comes from motor vehicle adverts. It said the share of its advertising revenue from car adverts has fallen in recent years.
“It is a significant amount of revenue to us and to RTÉ,” said RTÉ commercial director Gavin Deans.
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The committee heard that RTÉ has to be aware of “greenwashing” and each advert goes through a “rigorous clearance process” and “any claim made has to be substantiated” before it is broadcast.
In its report, the committee said its members expressed concern that a ban on the advertising of fossil fuel products could “undermine public support for climate action”, particularly as alternative modes of transport are still underdeveloped and affordable electric vehicles are not readily available.
“It was noted, however, that a ban would be about limiting the promotion and creation of demand, not outlawing purchase,” it said.
It recommended that Coimisiún na Meán examine the feasibility of prohibiting or strictly regulating the advertising of fossil fuels and scrutinise examples in France and The Hague.
The committee said such adverts should be banned outright during programming related to climate action and the environment and in general should be “obligated to carry warnings that emphasise the danger to human health”.
“The committee recommends that RTÉ shows leadership by phasing out the advertising of fossil fuels and fossil fuel products in their entirety and exploring and developing a funding model to support that.”
Separately, the committee recommended the provision of bursaries, grants, and other subsidies to fund climate coverage and climate news coverage. This would also involve setting up a news agency with a brief of covering local and global environmental matters.
The committee said it noted the “propensity for a general sense of apathy among the public” toward climate matters and said this presents a challenge to broadcasters. However, it said that climate events such as severe flooding can “re-sharpen the focus” on the issue.
