Planet of the Humans

Finally a documentary that finally points out the REAL problem when it comes to climate change: the overpopulation of Earth. Even if every one of the 8 000 000 000 people on Earth would live more sustainably, it would still not be enough to completely save the planet. Have you ever seen the chart that compares the different actions that can be done? Spoiler alert: having one fewer child is 300 times more effective than recycling. I must say though that I still have two problems with the documentary.

First, the documentary says that the overpopulation of Earth is the problem but it doesn't say why nobody accepts the simple solution of making less babies. Is it because of religion? Babies are cute? Having more babies equals success in life? The freedom of having more kids is more important than our planet? Less babies is bad for the economy?

Second, reducing the population (if we ever do it) will take multiple decades. So, what are we going to do about climate change until then? Hydroelectricity was never mentioned nor nuclear. What about public transportation? What about eating less meat? What about taking the plane once every 3-4 years (and staying longer) rather than flying every year for vacation?

This film has all the usual hallmarks of a Michael Moore documentary, quotes taken out of context, emotionally manipulative scenes that shock and overwhelm. Most people will come out of the movie looking for someone to blame. Al Gore? Bill McGibbon? Elon Musk? As my neighbour said tonight about the coronavirus, "I have to find someone to blame." At first I said there is no one to blame. But she doubled down. I repeated it again. But she shook her head smiling. I wanted to believe that she wasn't doubling down but just joking with me. Maybe she was. My partner says she wasn't.

I think it's important to note that the message the movie is : Our current way of life is not sustainable by any means. Now if you want to know what the movie is trying to show, it illustrates how environmentalists are in bed with the traditional fossil fuel business. Whether they are, knowingly or not, might be up for debate. It is possible that Al Gore and Bill McKibbon are stupid or naïve and want to believe that the fossil fuel businesses care. Maybe they think these businesses really want to find a sustainable alternative. Maybe they do. Maybe they are at war with their inner greed, hate, and ignorance. If we don't have someone blame, then we have to look inward, perhaps acknowledge how much we need to change, collectively. No one wants to do that. Everyone wants an easy answer that we can add to our personal narratives and belief systems.

It's not about blaming someone. It's way beyond that. Is Dennis McKenna on to something when he says that Gaia, through the SARS-COV-2, is trying to teach us something? Virologists would say, "Nonsense." We've had epidemics and pandemics before. Humankind just picks itself up, dusts itself off, and continues to gorge on the fruits of the earth with abandonment. This film is trying to warn that it is the same when it comes to the climate crisis.

I'm not a tree hugger, but I do recognize the need to find renewable energy sources that are both efficient and scalable. "Planet of the Humans" outlines the planet's predicament and the environmental movement's response. But many of their efforts are ill coordinated and managed by industries that focus more on their bottom line than an overriding concern for planet earth. This is an important film, with lots of suggestions, revelations and some let's-take-a-closer-look-at-it ideas. If the environmental objective is planet preservation, then I hope we can all rally around this film's knowledge base. Not because it doesn't follow "an agenda" (because it certainly does), but because we're gonna need lots of diverse (even contrasting) perspectives - maybe even like some that are outlined here. Everyone needs to educate themselves (and be open-minded) with what works and what doesn't. And we all need to be on board this ecology train if we're gonna win this battle to save our planet (as inconvenient as that truth may be).

Every single human needs to watch this movie! The movie is full of information. Thank you for making a movie that gives us eyes to see parts we miss otherwise. Thank you for making us think deeper. Humans, especially in the more developed countries need to cut down on over consumption of everything, EVERYTHING! Water, gas, electricity, paper etc. May the wisdom spread!

We've been had. This film shows the lies and the fantastical thinking behind the notion that solar, wind, and especially, "biomass" are "clean" energy. It's a bitter pill for a lot of people to swallow.

This film gores, no pun intended, many sacred cows, including the most outspoken (and wealthy) environmental activists. Guess who their best friends are? Several well-known organizations are taken down.

I always knew that people back in the 70s were right: We have to use less...we have to live more in harmony with nature...we have to conserve. We have to have fewer children. We live on a planet with finite resources. We cannot continue boundless growth.

My one quibble with the film is that it does not discuss nuclear energy.