Michael Moore on Tuesday dropped a new film about climate change called “Planet of the Humans” that he executive produced on the eve of the 50th anniversary of Earth Day.
Environmentalist Jeff Gibbs directed the documentary film that is available free in its entirety for the next 30 days on Moore’s Rumble Media YouTube channel.
“Planet of the Humans” takes a harsh look at how the environmental movement has lost the battle through well-meaning but disastrous choices, including the belief that solar panels and windmills would save us, and by giving in to the corporate interests of Wall Street.
The film is the debut movie from Jeff Gibbs, whom Moore calls “a brave and brilliant filmmaker whose new voice must be heard.” Gibbs is a lifelong environmentalist and longtime collaborator of Moore’s, with whom he co-produced “Bowling for Columbine” and “Fahrenheit 9/11.”
“Planet of the Humans” first screened as a work in progress at the most recent Traverse City Film Festival. And both Moore and Gibbs decided that the film was too urgent to delay its release until its originally planned release next year.
“We have ignored the warnings, and instead all sorts of so-called leaders have steered us away from the real solutions that might save us,” Moore said in a statement. “This movie takes no prisoners and exposes the truth about how we have been led astray in the fight to save the planet, to the point where if we don’t reverse course right now, events like the current pandemic will become numerous, devastating and insurmountable. The feel-good experience of this movie is that we actually have the smarts and the will to not let this happen — but only if we immediately launch a new environmental uprising.”
“We are losing the battle to stop climate change because we are following environmental leaders, many of whom are well-intentioned, but who’ve sold out the green movement to wealthy interests and corporate America,” Gibbs said in a statement. “This film is the wake-up call to the reality which we are afraid to face: that in the midst of a human-caused extinction event, the so-called ‘environmental movement’s’ answer is to push for techno-fixes and band-aids. “It’s too little, too late.”
The film will also play as part of a live event on Earth Day, April 22 at 10 p.m. EDT that will feature a live discussion and Q&A between Moore and Gibbs that will be available to viewers on YouTube, Facebook and Twitter. Moore will also be a guest on “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” on Tuesday to promote the film.
“Removed from the debate is the only thing that might save us: getting a grip on our out-of-control human presence and consumption. Why is this not the issue? Because that would be bad for profits, bad for business,” Gibbs continued. “Have we environmentalists fallen for illusions, ‘green’ illusions, that are anything but green, because we’re scared that this is the end — and we’ve pinned all our hopes on things like solar panels and wind turbines? No amount of batteries are going to save us, and that is the urgent warning of this film.”
Watch a teaser trailer for “Planet of the Humans” above and the full film here.