"[35], In Rolling Stone, McKibben continued: "the filmmakers didn't just engage in bad journalism (though they surely did), they acted in bad faith. Zehner reveals that while the Sierra Club’s ‘Beyond Coal’ campaign has been successfully closing coal plants, natural gas plants were opening in their wake resulting in the overall expansion of fossil fuel use in the United States during that same time period, citing data from the U.S. Department of Energy. Push-back from the mainstream environmental community was to be expected, but what perhaps wasn’t – with some exceptions – is the hostility and lack of nuanced, substantive response that’s sadly become a staple of societal discourse. And many of our experts are in the solar and wind industry". However, a large body of research shows the life-cycle emissions of wind and solar are much lower than those of fossil fuels. The Volt is a plug-in hybrid. Drawing implicitly on the legacy of renowned environmentalist Rachel Carson, in essence, Planet of the Humans calls into question the solutions proposed by so-called renewable technologies. Send news tips and questions to dan.gearino@insideclimatenews.org. But the video, released on YouTube last week, is a mess of deceptive and outdated anecdotes, and a succession of ridiculous arguments. Carbon Brief wrote about this research at the time. [56], In The Guardian, George Monbiot wrote: "The film does not deny climate science. The producers of Planet of the Humans are Gibbs and Ozzie Zehner; co-producers are Valorie Gibbs, Christopher Henze and David Paxson; cinematography by Gibbs, Zehner, and Christopher Henze; editing by Gibbs and Angela Vargos; sound mixing by Christopher Henze. "[36], As of May 13, 2020, it had been viewed more than 7.5 million times on YouTube. The voice-over for much of the film was done by Jeff Gibbs. Do the Environmental Concerns about Biomass Energy Mean that All Renewable Energy is Suspect? [37] On Metacritic it has a score of 56% based on reviews from 5 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews". [63], Learn how and when to remove this template message, wind turbine construction site in Vermont, taking into account all different stages of its production, Rare-earth element § Environmental considerations, "Planet of the Humans review – contrarian eco-doc from the Michael Moore stable", "Why "Planet of the Humans," Michael Moore's new film about green energy, is so controversial", "LEAKED EMAILS: How leftists Toby Smith, Josh Fox targeted Michael Moore's PLANET OF HUMANS, got it pulled off YouTube", "Planet of the Humans: Michael Moore green energy documentary branded 'dangerous' by climate scientists", "New Michael Moore film charges enviro leaders have 'lost their way' and 'sold out to corporate interests, "Climate experts call for 'dangerous' Michael Moore film to be taken down", "PEN America Calls for Expedited Copyright Review of Michael Moore Film", "PEN America: Pulling Moore Climate Film Would Be Censorship", "Michael Moore film Planet of the Humans removed from YouTube", "Episode 140: Action Is the Antidote To Despair (featuring "Planet of the Humans" Filmmakers Jeff Gibbs & Ozzie Zehner) – Rumble with Michael Moore", "Michael Moore Releases 'Planet Of The Humans' Documentary For Free On Eve Of Earth Day", "Michael Moore-Backed 'Planet Of The Humans' Extends YouTube Run, Reports 8M Views", "Films For Action's Statement on Planet of the Humans", "Skepticism is healthy, but Planet of the Humans is toxic", "Michael Moore-Produced 'Planet of the Humans' Doc Pulled From YouTube, Director Cries 'Censorship, "Michael Moore's 'Planet of the Humans' documentary peddles dangerous climate denial", "Once again Michael Moore stirs the environmental pot — but conservationists turn up the heat on him", "Inside Clean Energy: 6 Things Michael Moore's 'Planet of the Humans' Gets Wrong", "Planet of the Humans-Documentary Review", "Interviews - Responding to "Planet of the Humans": An interview with Leah Stokes with contributions from Michael Mann and Zeke Hausfather", "Once again Michael Moore stirs the environmental pot – but conservationists turn up the heat on him", "Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) - U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA)", "What Michael Moore's new film gets wrong about renewable energy", "Movie Review: Michael Moore's "Planet of the Humans" Traffics in Myths, Errors, and Dangerous Misdirection", "Response: Planet of the Humans Documentary", "Opinion: The Michael Moore-backed film enviros are dreading", "Netflix's 'The Half of It,' 'Planet of the Humans' and 3 Other Films You Should Be Watching Right Now", "Michael Moore-backed film criticizes renewable energy", "Michael Moore produced a film about climate change that's a gift to Big Oil", "Banana Town: Where Michael Moore Is Censored by the Left and Promoted by the Right", "Planet of the Humans Comes This Close to Actually Getting the Real Problem, Then Goes Full Ecofascism", "How did Michael Moore become a hero to climate deniers and the far right? His coverage deals with the business side of the clean-energy transition and he writes ICN’s Inside Clean Energy newsletter. Gibbs and Zehner travel to Ivanpah Solar Power Facility in the Mojave Desert and show a natural gas line hooked up to the facility. A bulldozer is shown destroying a 500 year old yucca plant to clear the land for what became the Ivanpah Solar Power Facility. [22] The controversial video had more than 8 million YouTube views at the time. Planet of the Humans asks hard questions about failure of environmental movement to halt climate change and save the planet. Gibbs admits to being a long-time fan of renewable energy. These things aren't true. "[47], Dennis Harvey in Variety claimed "Gibbs' dull monotone makes him a poor narrator", "there's nothing particularly elegant about the way Planet of the Humans arrives at its downbeat thesis," and "though well-shot and edited, the material here is simply too sprawling to avoid feeling crammed into one ungainly package. Second, the grid is available as a backup whenever needed. Gibbs displays U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission filings of green funds promoted in divestment campaigns by 350.org's, Bill McKibben, and the Sierra Club, which show holdings in mining companies, oil and gas infrastructure, various banks including BlackRock, Halliburton, McDonalds, Coca-Cola, Exxon, Chevron, Gazprom, and Enviva among others. Planet of the Humans is directed and narrated by longtime Moore collaborator Jeff Gibbs. [16], In an interview held at TCFF, Gibbs stated that "the film is not expected to be a comfortable beginning to the needed conversation" especially for those who treat solar and wind energy like "sacred cows". An older, but still widely cited, example is a 2013 report from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory that analyzed previous research on the subject to date and used it to produce ranges of findings. Footage includes satellite views of America's night skies, construction of a wind turbine, a solar fair, a wind farm construction site, a solar array owned by Lansing Power and Light Company, the Ivanpah Solar Power Facility, biomass facilities, and public events where prominent environmental leaders were speaking. As a reporter who covers renewable energy and has a background in covering the business of energy, watching. [3], Gary Mason at The Globe and Mail referred to the film as "The Michael Moore-backed film enviros are dreading". Gibbs asks, “Can machines made by industrial civilization save us from industrialization?”. We need our environmental leaders." Pulitzer Prize-winning, nonpartisan reporting on the biggest crisis facing our planet. Gibbs also speaks with author Richard Heinberg and anthropologist Nina Jablonski on why people seek technological fixes. The section ends with Gibbs, as part of a media event at the Climate March in New York City, asking environmental leaders for their stance on biomass including Van Jones, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Bill McKibben, and Vandana Shiva. Researchers there have found a median degradation rate of 0.5 percent per year, which means a median panel is still producing at 90 percent of its capability after 20 years. "Planet of the Humans" dares to say what no one will-that we are losing the battle to stop climate change by following leaders who have taken us down the wrong road-selling out the green movement to bankers and billionaires. Last year, renewable sources generated more than. Gibbs reveals that biomass energy remains the largest percentage of renewable energy in the world. Planet of the Humans is directed and narrated by Jeff Gibbs, a self-proclaimed “photographer, campaigner, adventurer, and storyteller” who has co-produced some of Moore’s films. The film spends much of its time criticizing energy systems that use biomass, including those that use wood chips to make electricity or corn to make ethanol for motor fuel. Gibbs speaks to a series of solar industry insiders, an electrical engineer, and a Federal Energy Regulatory Commissioner about solar energy’s intermittency limitation and reliance on baseload plants. Then the camera pans from a factory to the power lines connecting it to the grid. The Department of Energy is aiming to cut the price of utility-scale solar by more than half by 2030. The final scene shows a mother and baby orangutan struggling to survive as the forest is logged and burned around them. "Planet of the Humans" is a documentary that dares to say what no one else will — that we are losing the battle to stop the meltdown of our living planet because we are following leaders who have taken us down the wrong road — selling out the green movement to wealthy interests and corporate America. [8], The Union of Concerned Scientists, which was mentioned in the movie, responded to the allegations: "it implies that UCS took money from corporations profiting from EVs, without (again) stopping to check the facts, or reaching out to UCS about it. [29] The average power grid derived slightly more than 60% of its energy from fossil fuels in 2019. I'm aware that in our current salty era those words may sound mild, but in my lexicon they are the strongest possible epithets. They didn't just behave dishonestly (though they surely did), they behaved dishonorably. "[46], For Resilience, Heinberg has also written: "[The film] starts a conversation we need to have, and it's a film that deserves to be seen." Filmmaker Michael Moore’s new documentary purports to expose hypocrisy at the heart of the renewable energy movement. Gibbs attends an Earth Day concert celebration in Washington, DC sponsored by Toyota, Citibank, and Caterpillar, where Dennis Hayes claims the entire event is run on solar energy. Every day or once a week, our original stories and digest of the web's top headlines deliver the full story, for free. Whether it’s happening fast enough to satisfy Michael Moore or not, here’s the truth: Solar efficiency is … [52], InsideClimate News concluded that the movie "will almost certainly do far more harm than good in the struggle to reduce carbon emissions". Released on the eve of the 50th anniversary of Earth Day and in the midst of the global Covid-19 pandemic, Planet … I’m not going to attempt to answer that one today other than to say it is a source of fierce disagreement. [5][6][7][8] It was removed from YouTube on 25 May 2020 in response to a claim of copyright infringement, which PEN America condemned as censorship. [...] What's most frustrating about Gibbs' film is he walks right up to some serious issues and ignores clear solutions", Kahn concluded. Credit: Rich Fury/Getty Images. Gibbs then interviews Ozzie Zehner, author of Green Illusions, who reports that solar, wind, and electric vehicle technologies require mined minerals, including rare earths, and heavy industrial processes to produce – with new mines opening as demand for green technology rises. Gibbs visits Steven Running, an ecologist from the University of Montana, who discusses planetary limits – including global fish production, agricultural land, water irrigation, and ground water. It makes particularly contentious claims about solar, wind … “Planet of the Humans” by the end of April had more than 4.7 million views and fairly high scores at the movie critic review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes. The other leading renewable sources are biomass (7 percent), offshore wind (4 percent), and hydroelectric (4 percent). There are many reasons that a building needs to be connected to the grid even if it has access to its own electricity sources. Planet of the Humans was written, directed, and narrated by Jeff Gibbs. So Why Are They Connected to the Grid? [21], On 25 May 2020, the film was temporarily removed from YouTube due to a copyright infringement claim by British environmental photographer Toby Smith over a 4-second segment Gibbs considered fair-use content. He came to ICN in 2018 after a nine-year tenure at The Columbus Dispatch, where he covered the business of energy. Upon its release, Planet of the Humans generated intense controversy. The producers made the video available for free streaming on the competing Vimeo platform. They say the film includes "various distortions, half-truths and lies", and that the filmmakers "have done a grave disservice to us and the planet by promoting climate change inactivist tropes and talking points". The filmmakers appear to be using percentages that include energy used for home heating and transportation to arrive at such low numbers for wind and solar, without making clear that this is what they’re doing. Who knew? A visit to his local solar array reveals it could only meet the energy demand of 10 homes over a year. Planet of the Humans takes a critical look at the mainstream environmental movement, questioning its leaders' decision to partner with billionaires, corporations, and wealthy family foundations, and to promote renewable energy technology as the solution to climate change. The National Renewable Energy Laboratory has done extensive work to determine how much solar panels degrade over time. Filmmaker Michael Moore released the documentary "Planet of the Humans" last week, a critique of the movement to renewable energy. According to Monbiot, its "attacks on solar and wind power rely on a series of blatant falsehoods". "[55] Ted Nordhaus, an environmental policy writer and proponent of nuclear energy and industrial agriculture, noted that the bias in portraying renewables in the film "is a mirror image of the misinformation that the anti-nuclear movement has trafficked in for decades" and concluded the overall message of the film is neomalthusian. Humans are like cockroaches. [62], On 18 May, Gibbs replied directly to the accusations of using "old footage" arguing that while most of the footage was shot in 2019 and 2020, the videos of the popular solar festivals were shot twice, in an interval of 10 years, and usage of diesel generators was observed each time. Writing for The Guardian, Peter Bradshaw called the film "refreshingly contrarian" saying that "it’s always valuable to re-examine a sacred cow" and praising the film for focusing on "liberal A-listers" and refraining from attacking Greta Thunberg but criticised the film for being vague about solutions and not examining nuclear power. By focusing on techno-fixes, they have side-lined nearly all discussion of overpopulation and overconsumption. The narrator of the movie makes the point that Germany’s substantial spending on renewable energy has had almost no effect. [9][10] The filmmakers challenged the claim, arguing that the fragment was used under fair use and that free speech was subverted. Moore released it on YouTube for free viewing on April 21, 2020, the eve of the 50th anniversary of the first Earth Day. "Planet of the Humans" is a bold film that argues that human beings are losing the fight to stop climate change because they are following the wrong leaders. [29] As of 2015, electric vehicles emit on average 31% less than internal combustion vehicles for the same distance travelled. Interviews were done by a camera crew that identified themselves as being from New World Media during public events. ", When pressed in the Rising interview about accusations that the film presents a Malthusian point of view, Gibbs responded that they never used the term "population control" and are not in favor of it, and added that a recent UN study on the extinction crisis also mentioned population growth and economic growth as the primary drivers of the crisis. First, the power lines can be used to export any excess electricity. Most solar systems come with warranties of at least 20 years. It is, at best, misleading. As you can see from my story published today about the German energy transition, this is a subject I’ve followed closely, and I knew something was awry with the film’s statistics. So Planet of the Humans is a very disappointing movie, given that its heart, or at least part of its heart, is in the right place. Gibbs says that solar and wind arrays last only a few decades before “you tear it down, and start all over again.”. That said, Gibbs — and Michael Moore, who is backing this project — winds up carrying water for people who want us to believe renewable … Like "Planet of the Humans" except in the far greater detail possible in a book, "Bright Green Lies" reveals that those machines made by industrial civilization cannot save us from industrial civilization. Gibbs also states that "We went to great pains to show you what's happening in the field of solar and wind. What is the Central Claim of Planet of the Humans? "[43], Adrian Hennigan, features editor at Haaretz,[44] called Planet of the Humans a "provocative documentary about how capitalism has destroyed the environmental movement." [12], The movie was criticized as outdated and misleading by climate scientists. Gibbs reveals a tax return showing that the Sierra Club accepted 3 million dollars from timber investor Jeremy Grantham. We rely on donations from readers like you to keep going. Tesla’s Factories Generate 100 Percent of Their Own Electricity. It wouldn't have been hard, either way, to discover that UCS doesn't take corporate money at all".[34]. The film examines the decision of mainstream environmental groups and leaders to partner with billionaires, corporations, and wealthy family foundations in the fight to save a planet said to be in crisis. The film is recycling an old argument: that the use of fossil electricity means electric vehicles have about the same emissions as gasoline vehicles. Skepticism Is Healthy, but POTH is Toxic - Vote to Survive. The Michael Moore-backed documentary Planet of the Humans has drawn outraged criticism, not from the anti-environmental crowd, many of whom seem to quite like it, but from committed environmentalists. Its content consists of energy-related footage, street interviews, formal interviews, and archival footage of businessmen and prominent environmental leaders. [6][7][24] The film claims the carbon footprint of renewable energy is comparable to fossil fuels, when taking into account all different stages of its production. You will be redirected to ICN's donation partner. Gibbs then shows Gore lobbying Congress on behalf of the sugarcane ethanol industry in Brazil, juxtaposing footage of indigenous cultures in Brazil being evicted from their land to create more sugarcane fields. [50], Emily Atkin, environmental journalist for The New Republic,[51] described the documentary as "an argumentative essay from a lazy college freshman". Michael Moore served as executive producer. But you wouldn't know it from watching Planet of the Humans, a controversial new documentary that embraces a somber counter-narrative.. "[58], Michael Moore, Jeff Gibbs, and Ozzie Zehner responded to the critics on an episode of Rising. Last year, renewable sources generated more than 40 percent of the electricity in Germany, more than double the share in the United States. Monbiot further criticised the film's focus on discussions of overpopulation saying "When wealthy people, such as Moore and Gibbs, point to this issue without the necessary caveats, they are saying, in effect, 'it’s not Us consuming, it’s Them breeding. Inside Climate News uses cookies. I reached out to the producers, but did not get a response. Germany’s success in developing renewable energy and maintaining a reliable grid is a compelling counterpoint to much of what the film is arguing. Today we know more and we know better, but to watch this film you’d think it was about 2010. The narrator makes the point that the vehicle was powered by a local utility that runs almost completely on coal, as if to say that the environmental benefits of an EV are illusory. [14] On 21 April 2020, the eve of Earth Day, Moore announced that the film would be available for free on YouTube for 30 days,[15] which was later extended by another month because of high viewership. When Barack Obama directs billions of dollars into renewable energy, Gibbs follows the green energy movement more closely but is disappointed with his initial findings. Gibbs sneaks onto a biomass plant property in Vermont and finds that instead of burning forest residue as advertised, the plant is surrounded by whole trees. To answer them, we asked its writer and director. Inside Clean Energy is ICN’s weekly bulletin of news and analysis about the energy transition. [38], Supporters of the film praised it provoking discussion. [11] Twelve days later, YouTube allowed the film to be viewed again. The writer and director, Jeff Gibbs, and the executive producer, Moore, have put together something that is woefully dated—the kind of commentary that was more common years ago, when renewable energy was more expensive and less efficient and we knew much less about what an energy transition might look like. How Much Wind and Solar Does Germany Generate? Driven by great ingenuity and ambition, the green energy revolution is a powerful rallying cry to support a cleaner planet. The film shows McKibben stating that 350.org receives funding from The Rockefeller Brothers Fund, and the V. Kann Rasmussen Foundation. He grew up in Warren County, Iowa, just south of Des Moines, and lives in Columbus, Ohio. '"[57], In a review of the film for Deep Green Resistance News Service, radical feminist Elisabeth Robson said the population issue was a "relatively minor point in the film compared to the points about solar, wind, and biomass" and "the film did a fairly good job of raising it as an issue without being particularly 'Malthusian' about it." There is a deep body of research showing that wind, solar and nuclear power have much lower life-cycle emissions than natural gas and coal. [28], The film also includes footage of a 10-year-old electric vehicle being recharged from a grid that is 95% powered by coal. He also accused the "eco-industrial complex" of attempting to "choke [the producers] to death", instead of "self-reflection". ICN provides award-winning climate coverage free of charge and advertising. But by lumping together biomass with wind and solar in an argument about renewable energy, the film is oversimplifying. ", "Planet of the Humans: Why Technology Won't Save Us", "Michael Moore: Mother Nature sending warning, people to 'time-out rooms' with pandemic", "Michael Moore, filmmakers respond to criticism of new bombshell environmental film", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Planet_of_the_Humans&oldid=1011515923, Documentary films about alternative energy, Short description is different from Wikidata, Wikipedia articles needing clarification from May 2020, Articles lacking reliable references from June 2020, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, This page was last edited on 11 March 2021, at 08:50. The film was executive produced by Michael Moore. It claims that environmentalism is a self-seeking scam, doing immense harm to the living world while enriching a group of con artists". This shortlist comprises some of the many factual errors, narrative distortions, and doomist biases which shocked me … The emissions intensity of electric vehicles varies depending on the source of electricity used to power the grid; however, as of 2020, they emit less than internal combustion vehicles in all but a few of the world's regions. Moore and Gibbs called the move a "blatant act of censorship" and disputed the claim with YouTube. and "Mainstream enviros will hate this movie because it exposes some of their real failings. [8], On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 65%, based on 23 reviews, with an average rating of 6.29/10. Gibbs also composed some of the film's score. McKibben is shown on stage with former Goldman Sachs executive David Blood, supporting his call to raise $40–50 trillion in green energy investments. The film shows green tech investor Robert F. Kennedy Jr. speaking to an oil and gas industry group stating, “The plants that we’re building, the wind plants and the solar plants, are gas plants.”, Zehner discusses how companies including Apple and Tesla claim to run on 100% renewable energy despite remaining hooked up to the grid and reveals the Koch Brothers' involvement in green technology production. The environmental benefits of EVs will increase as utilities continue to reduce their emissions and as batteries used in the vehicles become more efficient. After protests stating that "the film is full of misinformation", they removed the embedded link[18] and published a statement[19] listing multiple falsehoods and errors, including statements about environmental organizations and solar and wind power that were outdated or incorrect. [39], Nonfictionfilm.com editor-in-chief, Matthew Carey,[40] wrote: "Films about environmental issues have long been a staple of the documentary form, a genre that in recent years alone has brought us Before the Flood, Chasing Ice, Chasing Coral and, of course, An Inconvenient Truth. These interviews were preceded by a number of formal interviews with Richard Heinberg, Ozzie Zehner, and Penn State anthropologist Nina Jablonski. He also shows Gore in multiple interviews defending his decision to sell his American television channel, Current TV, earning him an estimated $100 million pre-tax for the deal, to Al Jazeera which is owned by the State of Qatar, an oil and gas producer. There are some well-documented concerns with using biomass in terms of land use to produce feedstocks, and emissions related to the burning of the fuels. Onshore wind energy is the country’s leading renewable power source, with 17 percent of generation. One example is a 2017 paper published in the journal Nature Energy that showed very small carbon footprints for wind, solar and nuclear, while coal and natural gas power plants had much larger carbon footprints, even if they were using carbon capture equipment to store their emissions. He joins a group of concerned citizens on a hike to a wind turbine construction site in Vermont and finds part of the mountainside being removed. Environmentalist Bill McKibben responded to claims made in the documentary about him and the organization he cofounded, 350.org: "A Youtube video emerged on Earth Day eve making charges about me and about 350.org — namely that I was a supporter of biomass energy, and that 350 and I were beholden to corporate funding, and have misled our supporters on the costs and trade-offs related to decarbonizing our economy. EXCLUSIVE, updated with new details, 11:42 AM: Michael Moore and Jeff Gibbs’ controversial documentary Planet of the Humans has been removed from YouTube, where it was streaming for free R… This doesn’t mean that Tesla’s claim of 100 percent renewable energy is incorrect. It will almost certainly do far more harm than good in the struggle to reduce carbon emissions. Planet of the Humans is a 2019 American environmental documentary film written, directed, and produced by Jeff Gibbs. One target is Jeremy Grantham, a billionaire investment analyst who created the Grantham Foundation for the Protection of the Environment in 1997. [53], Environmental journalist Brian Kahn in Earther wrote that the filmmaker's choice to have "mostly white experts who are mostly men" argue in favor of population control gives the film "a bit more than a whiff of eugenics and ecofascism. 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