Planet of the Humans is a documentary film directed by Jeff Gibbs and produced by Michael Moore which doesn’t only talk about the damage of climate change but also talks about the damage in the ways we tackle climate change during today’s peak of capitalism. The consciousness about climate change had started as early as the 1950’s and the narrative to combat it has been dominated by the search for alternative sources of energy that would wean offour dependence on nonrenewable resources like fossil fuel.
This documentary points out the irony of these so called alternatives such as wind, solar and biofuels that claim to be green energies that not only fail to replace fossil fuels but also create irreparable damage, all in the façade of battling climate change. The documentary boldly conducts a reality check on some of the big corporates and wealthy individuals who have taken over the green movement in America as well as globally. Many people’s introduction to environmentalism begins with the believe in advocacy of renewable resources as the solution to our crises. That could be a possible reason for the easy appropriation of the fight against climate change and convert them into any other profit generating opportunity. For instance, big corporates like Bloomberg, Sierra Club, Goldman Sachs, have been involved with setting up bio gas plants, solar panels and wind turbines, which on the surface may be symbols of alternate energy but nevertheless requires fossil fuels for operation, mining for various minerals like quartz to make the solar panels, cutting down of millions of trees, burning and producing excessive amount of CO2. Even the advocates of solar energy admit that in order for solar power to replace fossil fuels, it will need to be stored, and to be stored, it will need batteries which again uses toxic materials as well as non-renewable resources. Most of the companies and corporates listed in the documentary are also attached and linked with others who are profiting from the consumption of natural resources and its depletion around the world.
After renewable energy became desirable and in vogue in the world politics, capitalism too molded itself to stay relevant in a market that now demanded sustainability. The quick adaptation, or rather the appropriation of the environmental movement by this system has sidelined the core issues of the problems of climate change and has instead deepened them. This is because, instead of changing our lifestyles, questioning the status quos of knowledge systems, or the fundamental errors in the ways we define development as well as prosperity, we are constantly ensuring that the system remains intact while we look at alternate ways to live the way we do. The essence of the documentary lies in this one sentence that this model of battling climate change is a “desperate measure to save our way of life, not the planet”.
The documentary was enlightening and eye opening at best but, there was an inconsistency in the afterthought, when it briefly discusses a way forward. The way forward mainly includes tackling of population growth. While there is no denying that the human population has increased drastically over the years, it does not necessarily correspond with the increase in consumption of resources per individual. The inequality in the world ensures that the energy produced by these fossil fuels do not reach those at the lowest socio-economic levels in the developing nations. As the documentary points that the wealthiest have been responsible for depleting majority of the natural resources for their own profits, then how can mere control of population solve the issues of climate change?
The documentary is a reminder of the importance of preserving traditional and indigenous knowledge around sustainable living. This also includes re-defining our relationship with the environment as well as our needs and prioritizing them accordingly. Solutions like the wind turbines and biofuels are of no use without deeper understanding of the intentions of fighting against climate change which will require radical change in our thinking.
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