TC Filmmaker's Doc Championed by Moore; Panned by Environmentalists

Planet of the Humans accused of making misleading and dangerous claims

By Patrick Sullivan | May 2, 2020

A Traverse City filmmaker’s documentary about green energy was a massive hit after Michael Moore promoted the film on his YouTube channel, garnering millions of views — but backlash from environmentalists around the world.

“I am thrilled that Planet of the Humans has ignited a national discussion about the new environmental movement we need,” filmmaker Jeff Gibbs said in a press release.

Planet of the Humans made its world premiere on Michael Moore’s YouTube channel (see YouTube.com/MMFlint). To promote the premiere, Moore, who executive produced the movie, appeared as a guest on CBS’s The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, and Moore and Gibbs made multiple appearances on MSNBC and hosted a live discussion and Q&A event on YouTube, Facebook, and Twitter.

The film provoked condemnation from some environmentalists, who argued that it is full of disinformation and that it makes misleading and dangerous claims about alternative energy.

Moore said in a statement: “This isn’t personal — we admire what so many of our fellow environmentalists have done. It’s just that we refuse to stand by and let the planet choke to death because a few people on our side of the political fence sincerely thought they knew what was best for us.”