All Car Ads In France To Now Ask Customers To Walk Or Cycle Instead, Thanks To ​New Law

With the rise in global warming and environmental preservation awareness, the French government has come up with a new law to curb pollution. Considering that private cars contribute to 15% of the country’s greenhouse gas output, car commercials will now have to display environmental warnings.

According to Daily Mail, car advertisers will now have to ask their potential buyers to consider cycling, walking, taking public transport, or sharing a ride instead of travelling via a private car. The law requires the mention of one of three statements – “For short journeys, walk or cycle,” “think about carpooling” and “Take public transport daily.”

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This comes as a shock to many as it is ironic for car companies to ask customers to choose “greener” alternatives and also seemingly negates the purpose – like the depressing health visuals on cigarette packets that we see.

The law further requires companies to include these messages in all forms of advertising – including print, broadcast, radio, TV, etc. The message is to be clearly seen if on TV, and in the case of Radio, it is to be properly narrated after the advertisement.

According to The Drive, Minister for the Ecological Transition of France, Barbara Pompili said, “Decarbonizing transport is not just switching to electric vehicles. It also means using, when possible, public transport or cycling.”

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The country has already decided to end the sale of diesel-powered cars and gas by 2040.

Here’s how people online responded to the news:

Do you think putting environmental warnings on automobile commercials will help curb pollution? Tell us!

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