French journalist and filmmaker Jean-Robert Viallet, known for his documentary work on labor and drug trafficking, has turned his lens to the environment. His new three-part documentary series, « Fuck La Planète – Le choix du réchauffement », traces decades of climate struggle, from the first scientific warnings to the ways market forces have worked against environmental regulation.
Viallet first gained recognition with « La mise à mort du travail », a documentary that earned him the prestigious Albert Londres Prize in 2010. That work examined the realities of the working world, and his subsequent projects continued to document social and political issues, including narcotrafficking. Now, with this new series, he addresses one of the defining challenges of our era: the collective failure to act decisively on climate change despite decades of knowledge.
The series takes a long view of the climate crisis, beginning with the early scientific alerts that emerged in the late twentieth century. Researchers raised concerns about rising global temperatures and the impact of greenhouse gas emissions, yet their warnings were met with limited political response. The documentary examines how these initial findings were received, and how the urgency of the message was gradually diluted or contested.
A central theme of the series is the role of economic interests in shaping climate policy. Viallet investigates how industries tied to fossil fuels and other high-emission sectors mobilized against proposed regulations. Rather than simply denying the science, these actors worked to influence public opinion and political decision-making, often framing environmental protections as threats to economic growth and employment.
The documentary also looks at the mechanisms through which market logic came to dominate climate discussions. Carbon markets, offset schemes, and voluntary corporate commitments are presented as responses that often fell short of what scientists said was necessary. The series questions whether such approaches can ever deliver the scale of change required, or whether they serve primarily to delay more fundamental transformations.
Viallet's approach is grounded in his background as a journalist who has spent years documenting the consequences of economic policy on ordinary people. His previous work explored how labor markets were restructured and how workers bore the costs of those changes. In this series, he draws a parallel between those dynamics and the current climate situation, suggesting that similar forces are at play in the resistance to environmental regulation.
The title of the series, « Fuck La Planète », is deliberately provocative. It reflects a frustration with the choices that have been made, and continue to be made, in favor of short-term economic interests over long-term planetary health. The subtitle, « Le choix du réchauffement », makes the argument explicit: warming is not an accident but a choice, the result of decisions taken by governments and corporations over several decades.
Throughout the three episodes, Viallet combines archival footage, expert interviews, and his own narration to build a comprehensive picture of how the world arrived at its current climate predicament. The series does not simply recount the history of climate science; it focuses on the political and economic battles that determined how that science was used, or ignored, in policy-making.
The documentary arrives at a moment when climate issues are again at the forefront of public debate, with extreme weather events and scientific reports underscoring the urgency of action. Viallet's work offers a reminder that the obstacles to meaningful change are not primarily technical but political and economic. By examining the past decades of struggle, the series seeks to explain why the world remains on a path toward significant warming, despite the knowledge and tools available to address it.
« Fuck La Planète – Le choix du réchauffement » represents a new chapter in Viallet's career, moving from the world of work to the broader question of survival on a changing planet. His documentary series is expected to contribute to ongoing conversations about climate responsibility and the future of environmental policy.