May 12, 2020
A Review of Planet of Humans
The documentary presented by filmmaker Michael Moore presents a case highlighting the collaboration between the Green Movement and the environmental capitalists. It argues that Green Capitalism is not a solution to the environmental crisis we are facing; it is the humans that are the problem.
Presenting this hypothesis, it presents a Judgemental view of almost the entire green movement which comprises a wide array of Organisations, groups and Individuals. Primarily, it suffers from the fundamental fallacy of Hasty Generalisation.
Secondly, it argues that creating a 100% renewable system is impossible as it examines the production of tools of the renewable industry. The filmmaker presents that the production of solar panels, wind turbines and lithium batteries are energy and carbon-intensive processes. If seen in that light, the existence of life as a system is itself a mechanism to attain Homeostasis and fight entropy. Every Human activity has been characterised by controlling energy, information and other life forms for its evolution and survival. The fundamental problem in the second argument lies in the ignorance of comparative analysis. The rate of consumption has increased, but are we not improving?
As a human society, we should acknowledge the carbon footprint of our species, but we should even be conscious of the fact that we are improving the efficiency of energy utilisation. There are real tradeoffs in the clean energy transition. Renewables have downsides. As do biomass, nuclear hydropower, batteries, and transmission. There is no perfect solution to our energy challenges. Pointing to a delusional world view inspired by a romantic way of life where one can live in peace along with utilising the modern amenities that we as a consumerist society craves for is incompatible.
The film presents a case for population control, but it forgets to analyse where should we control the population and How should we control it and who will control it. It ignores the fact that despite low birth rates, the average US citizen still consumes over ten times the energy of the average Indian, 4–5 times that of a Brazilian, and three times more than China. (https://ourworldindata.org/energy)
The Central problem with the documentary is that it suffers from all the logical fallacies that one can think off. However, the film must be given space in our discourse as the prophet of free speech puts it “If all mankind minus one, were of one opinion, and only one person were of the contrary opinion, mankind would be no more justified in silencing that one person, than he if he had the power, would be justified in silencing mankind.”
The Documentary despite its factual errors and logical fallacies it highlights the challenges that the green movement may face, what if the corporate interest which has mined profits from fossil fuels till now make environment movement as a potential tool in their lobbying kit?
Time has come to become conscious of the fact that-
