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What about that Michael Moore Movie?

How dare they cast doubt on the sanctity of Renewable Energy?


Why am I feeling like this about that movie?

I have been asked by a LOT of people what I thought of Planet of the Humans?







Of course the movie has its story to tell and its own perspective that makes it interesting - it is a movie. The facts about renewable energy weren't off the mark. I don't know about the implied corporate handshake of our esteemed environmental leaders. I have only worked with Richard Heinberg, and have found him to be straight up.

What it is that is disturbing for people is that their perspective is being shifted.

You find out about climate change and climate destruction and you get over your shock and horror and denial, and then you want to bargain. You want to save the world. We will be good. We will use only good energy. We need wind and solar. We are good people. And so the narrative is formed and the story begins to become impervious to facts. 

You can find a talk that I gave on youtube years ago where I explained the limitations of renewables in terms of EROI. You can ask any energy engineer to explain utilisation factor, intermittency, conversion efficiency, energy density. 

Why this movie worked to dislodge the comfortable belief in the Holy Trinity of The Wind, The Solar and The Electric Car - I do not know. 

 95 Thesis nailed to the church door? Doubting? Questioning? And being pretty logical and right in those doubts? Anyway, it's about time that the people who really do care about climate change move on from this bargaining position. 

 They will feel angry that they were misled. They will feel guilty that they've been wasting time. 

 And then they might start working on transition.
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Comments

  1. Raphael BOICHOT29 June 2020 at 04:10

    Hi Susan !

    Glad you've done that blog. I've lost my time seeing this movie from start to finish due to the hype among my students...
    I think it can be at least seen as a very very first step into the problem for completely naive people...

    I return to thermodynamics without looking back.

    Raphaël

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