Summary:
The new movie Executive Produced and promoted by Michael Moore, Directed by Jeff Gibbs and distributed by Films for Action, PLANET OF THE HUMANS is unscientific, flies in the face of decades of renewable energy science, engineering and research and is counter productive in the age of urgent need for Climate Action. Because the film is based in misinformation and not in truth, we request that the film be retracted by its creators and distributors and an apology rendered for its misleading content.

Intro:
Planet of the Humans, directed by Jeff Gibbs and Produced by Michael Moore is a shockingly misleading and absurd film that promotes a thesis that is patently untrue on many levels.

1. The film states that renewable energy such as solar and wind are inefficient, useless and dependent on fossil fuels to work. Quote from the film “One of the most dangerous things right now is the illusion that alternative technologies, like wind and solar, are somehow different than fossil fuels….You would have been better off just burning the fossil fuels in the first place, instead of playing pretend.”

This assertion, which is echoed over and over in the film is patently untrue and ridiculous. The notion that solar and wind and other renewable technologies don’t work to produce energy in ways that are cheaper, more efficient and at low or zero carbon emissions over their life span flies in the face of everything engineers, scientists and energy planners have been writing in peer reviewed science for decades.

2. The film trades in debunked fossil fuel industry talking points that are specious and meant to disparage the efficiency, durability and affordability of renewable energy. Quote: “Intermittency is one of the major challenges.” “Solar panels are built to only last 10 years, so it’s not as if you get this magic free energy, right? I don’t know if it’s the solution.” These notions, which are untrue, antiquated and outdated do not pertain to the technology and science of today , in which intermittency and efficiency are no longer issues due to the significant advances that renewable energy science, planning and technology. The fact is that RENEWABLE ENERGY WORKS and is currently cheaper than coal and natural gas, other fossil fuel generated electricity sources.

3. The film totally ignores the last ten years of peer-reviewed renewable energy planning and policy. Absent from this anti-renewable energy screed are important policy and science innovations such as the 100% renewable energy plans for each state, over 150 countries and the world from Stanford University, Physicians Scientists and Engineers for Healthy Energy and the Solutions Project. Also absent is any mention of the Green New Deal, which is the most important policy advance on green energy of all time. Bear in mind that this work on renewable energy, such as the 100% plans for New York and California are all ready well under way and are being enacted now with solar and wind energy growing exponentially- all backed up and predicted by science.
Peer reviewed NY 100% plan: https://web.stanford.edu/…/Articles/I/NewYorkWWSEnPolicy.pdf
Stanford University plans: https://thesolutionsproject.org/why-clean-energy/
PSE Research: https://www.psehealthyenergy.org

4. The film attacks important environmental campaigners, scientists, policy leaders and activists in unfair and misleading ways. The climate movement, the anti fracking movement, the movement for renewable energy and against fossil fuels has been an important part of the advancement of thinking and policy towards changing our energy system away from coal oil and gas. The film attacks movement leaders like Bill McKibben, Van Jones and others as well as taking pot shots at important local campaigners like Nathan Sooy of Clean Water Action, accusing them of supporting forms of energy that they do not (like biomass) and taking money from fossil fuel interests (which they do not). See the extensive and detailed rebuttal by Bill McKibben here:
https://350.org/response-planet-of-the-humans-documentary/

5. The film ignores that the IPCC and other scientific bodies are saying that we must cut our carbon emissions in half in the next ten years and that the only way to feasibly do that is what a total transformation of our energy systems. These scientists point overwhelmingly towards transformations in our economies towards renewable energy.

The film is dangerous, misleading and destructive to decades of progress on environmental policy, science and engineering.

We are demanding an apology and an immediate retraction by the films producers, director and advocates.

Sincerely,

Josh Fox
Oscar-Nominated, Emmy Winning filmmaker

Co-signed by
Michael Mann
Distinguished Professor of Atmospheric Science at Penn State, with joint appointments in the Department of Geosciences and the Earth and Environmental Systems Institute (EESI). He is also director of the Penn State Earth System Science Center (ESSC).Lead Author on the Observed Climate Variability and Change chapter of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Third Scientific Assessment Report in 2001

Naomi Klein
author and co-founder of The Leap.
Gloria Steinem Endowed Chair in Media, Culture and Feminist Studies
Rutgers University

A. R. Ingraffea, Ph.D., P.E.
Dwight C. Baum Professor of Engineering, Emeritus
Cornell University
Senior Fellow, PSEHealthy Energy
Distinguished Member, American Society of Civil Engineers

Mark Zachary Jacobson
Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Stanford University and director of its Atmosphere/Energy Program.

Ayana Elizabeth Johnson
founder, Ocean Collectiv.

Laura Dawn
Founder, ART NOT WAR, former founding Creative & Cultural Director, MoveOn.org
Writer, Director, Producer, and Activist

Tom Dinwoodie
Rocky Mountain Institute, Sun Power

Julian Brave NoiseCat
Vice President of Policy & Strategy, Data for Progress
Narrative Change Director, The Natural History Museum
Fellow, Type Media Center & NDN Collective

Tommie Sunshine - Activist/Musician

Nathan Sooy
Formally of clean water action (subject of the film)

Paul Alexander
Legislative Director for Senator James Sanders, NY State Senate

Frances Fisher
Actress/ Activist

Barbara Arrindell
Executive Director
Damascus Citizens for Sustainability

Karen Feridun
Founder, Berks Gas Truth, PA

Amanda Nesheiwat
Environmental Director - Secaucus New Jersey
Adjunct Professor - World Sustainability, Ramapo College of New Jersey
United Nations Representative- Foundation for Post Conflict Development

Mark Paul,
Assistant Professor of Economics and Environmental Studies, New College of Florida

Gregory King
Documentary Filmmaker

Geoffrey Supran
Research Associate, Department of the History of Science, Harvard University

Steve Liptay
Documentary Filmmaker

Tim Hjersted
director of Films For Action

Alex Tyson
Documentary Filmmaker

Jonathan Shorr
Gallerist

Johnny Linehan
Founder of Fracking Hell (UK)

Jenni Siri
Frack Free Four Corners

Larry Chasnoff
High School Science Teacher

Oloowan Plain
Lakota Way Healing Center

Adam Flint
Director of Clean Energy Programs at Binghamton Regional Sustainability Coalition

Leah Stokes
Assistant Professor of Political Science at the University of California