Michael Moore’s climate change doc Planet of the Humans has been protested for being shockingly misleading. In the years since his debut film, Roger & Me, Moore has become an Oscar-winner, a household name, and at times, a controversial figure for his actions and opinions.
To argue that Moore has built a career on controversy isn’t so far off the mark, though opinion over whether his films are deliberately antagonistic greatly depends on who one asks. In 2003, during his acceptance speech for Bowling For Columbine’s best documentary Oscar win, Moore became one of the first celebrities to publicly call out then U.S. president George W. Bush. The response from the audience was somewhat mixed, with some cheering, while others booed. Despite some critical opinion over the remarks, however, Moore firmly stood his ground, citing his inherent right to free speech. Since that time, Moore’s directorial efforts have amounted to seven more documentaries, each of which has divided public opinion in its own way.
Clearly not tired or afraid of provoking opinions in what is now all too often a very divergent political landscape, Moore’s latest project, Planet of the Humans, sees him take on the role of producer rather than director. As is typically the case for Moore, the film has been attracting no small amount of controversy, but unlike his past films, this time Moore is seeing criticism from the exact people he’s traditionally been allied with. The documentary deals with the green movement, and as The Guardian reports, some climate scientists and environmentalists are critical of the film’s narrative, which has been described as everything from “absurd” to “shockingly misleading.”
Planet of the Humans argues that alternative energy sources such as solar power and electric cars are not the clean answer to the world’s reliance on fossil fuels. Instead, the film criticizes the sources as nothing more than extensions of fossil fuels, which continue to make the world reliant on petroleum based products. In addition to its stance on alternative energy, the film is also reportedly critical of Al Gore’s friendship with large-scale corporations, which push solar and electric energy at a time when more vital solutions are being ignored. The film had its premier at Moore’s Traverse City film festival, and is currently available to view for free on YouTube. At present, Planet of the Humans has been viewed over 3 million times on the popular website, despite objections from a variety of climate activists and scientists.
Whatever your opinion of Moore, he is the sort of public figure whose supporters and detractors can change at any given moment. The issue of environmentalism and climate change remain hot topics around the world, and the number of opinions regarding what needs to be done and how it should be done is something that can differ drastically from person to person. Fortunately for those interested in making up their own minds on the subject matter that Planet of the Humans explores, the film can easily be viewed online.
