All:
As an old solar practitioner whose buildings have saved our atmosphere thousands of
tons of carbon, and one who has long worried about our planet's ability to withstand our
abuse, I agree with any statement or presentation that will "flatten the Co2 curve".
I would observe, however, that the fear of humans covering every square foot of Planet
Earth is likely overdrawn. Rather, one of the only good trends is the shrinkage of human
population growth as societies modernize. The more modern a society, the lower its birth
rate. So our (I hope) natural inclination to lift up all peoples to better housing, food, health
freedom and future prospects, will result in fewer humans with a resulting lowering of their
demands upon our limited resources.
Population lowering must be helped by lowering the demands upon scarce resources of each
human being, and I hope it is not too optimistic to feel that we as architects will lead in lowering
those per-person demands.
John F. Corkill, Jr., AIA
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John Corkill AIA
Principal
Corkill Cush Reeves Architects
Bowie MD
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Original Message:
Sent: 04-29-2020 18:36
From: Helen Kessler
Subject: DOCUMENTARY: PLANET OF THE HUMANS (worth watching)
I watched the whole film with great interest and agree that it is well worth watching. However, it is also important to watch with a questioning mind. Is every allegation true? The movie does a great job of making them seem true, but are they really? By the end of the movie, you may become really depressed thinking that not only are we doomed but the technologies we are relying on for future energy use, especially wind and solar, are not worth the fossil fuels or habitat destruction to build. I don't think the movie shows the whole story or gets to the nuance, but I do think it is a wake-up call and requires us to do more thoughtful research, and for that reason, it is worth watching. It points to hypocrisy of some environmental organizations (but without nuance). I can forgive the Nature Conservancy for trading land if their goal is to build a larger area of contiguous protected lands that will protect even more habitat. It's harder to forgive the Sierra Club for creating a "green" fund that includes habitat destroying companies. The film also points to the elephant in the room - population - and this is important, especially since it is so unusual. We humans and our growing numbers (as well as our obsession with growth) are the biggest destroyers of our environment, and it seems that will continue until some or all of us are "destroyed." The movie doesn't give any hope or a way out and while I wouldn't be looking for false hope, it would be helpful to provide well-reasoned options.
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Helen Kessler FAIA
President
HJ Kessler Associates, Inc.
Chicago IL
Original Message:
Sent: 04-28-2020 06:28
From: Howard Wong
Subject: DOCUMENTARY: PLANET OF THE HUMANS (worth watching)
DOCUMENTARY
An educational and thought-provoking documentary, challenging environmental politics and practices. Are we trying to save the planet by destroying it? Also, the end credits contain interesting notes about actions resulting from the film. Worth watching. Best, Howard Wong, AIA
REAL CLEAR POLITICS: Michael Moore Presents "Planet of the Humans" Documentary: We Are Losing The Battle To Stop Climate Change (1:40) https://www.realclearpolitics.com/video/2020/04/21/michael_moore_presents_planet_of_the_humans_documentary_we_are_losing_the_battle_to_stop_climate_change.html
Michael Moore presents Planet of the Humans, a documentary that dares to say what no one else will this Earth Day - that we are losing the battle to stop climate change on planet earth because we are following leaders who have taken us down the wrong road - selling out the green movement to wealthy interests and corporate America. This film is the wake-up call to the reality we are afraid to face: that in the midst of a human-caused extinction event, the environmental movement's answer is to push for techno-fixes and band-aids. It's too little, too late.
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Howard Wong AIA
San Francisco CA
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