The UN Secretary General's Call To Stop Receiving Funds From Fossil Fuel Vehicle Manufacturers

Photo illustration. (Doc. Pexels)

JAKARTA Various ways have been taken by global stakeholders to deal with the current climate crisis, one of which is by aggressively promoting electric vehicles.

Especially for electric vehicles after growing very rapidly in the last 3 years, but since the beginning of this year the movement has been slow.

According to a Carscoops report, quoted June 24, United Nations (UN) Secretary-General Ant Total Guterres earlier this month called on governments and media around the world to stop accepting funds from the fossil fuel industry. Guterres accuses energy companies of "turning the truth, deceiving the public, and sowing doubts" about the ongoing climate crisis.

"Stop the crazy people who sparked more madness," he said firmly.

This Guterres comment comes at a very important time for the automotive industry. Consumers are still hesitant about electric vehicles (EVs), especially as many new EV models are still much more expensive than vehicles that use fossil fuels and limited supporting infrastructure.

Guterres also called for the imposition of restrictions on fossil fuel advertisements, similar to restrictions on tobacco and alcohol ads implemented around the world. In contrast to tobacco advertising, which is mainly limited to avoiding a bad influence on children, the ban on fossil fuel advertising aims to affect consumer behavior as a whole.

Several countries, cities, and companies have started banning oil and gas companies from advertising. France, for example, limits the promotion of coal, gas and hydrogen produced from fossil fuels, while Amsterdam, Sydney, and Edinburgh have also restricted advertising from companies with high emissions. From the media side, The Guardian, Vox, and Le Monde from France have banned ads for oil and gas.

However, such restrictions may be more difficult to implement at the national level in countries like the United States.

"Even if Congress tries to do so, the ban on fossil fuel advertising will certainly fail to fight legal challenges under current US law," said Rebecca Tushnet, a professor of the First Amendment at Harvard Law School.

With the various challenges and changes that have occurred, the future of the automotive industry seems to be greatly influenced by how the world responds to Guterres calls and subsequent steps in dealing with the climate crisis.