Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind & Why Humans are not the Virus | An Analysis
During the course of this global pandemic that’s been raging since March of last year, there is a certain narrative that has been going around. This narrative, which is usually paired with images of nature now devoid of people, usually goes like this: humans are the virus. What this statement insinuates is that the entirety of humankind is at fault for the continual destruction of our planet, and subsequently, for climate change as well. This statement also gets paired with another one that’s been running amok in the climate sphere — obviously from fossil fuels execs., but others have fallen victim into believing it also. It’s the statement that plainly says: we are all to blame. It’s a statement that seeks to confer responsibility onto everyone, but in so doing, it takes responsibility off the companies and executives that are globally emitting the vast majority of greenhouse gas emissions. And, it inherently forces people to consider the prospect of whether humans are indeed a virus that has been ravaging the Earth; and, whether there’s something inherent in humanity that causes them to affect the Earth in such negative ways.
Obviously, as you all can probably see from the title of this video, I do not subscribe to that line of thinking. I don’t think humanity is a natural born “virus” that has been destined to harm the Earth. I also don’t think we are all to blame, because that way of thinking causes us to focus too much on individual actions when it comes to solving climate change. And, even though I think those actions are beneficial to a point, they ultimately do little in changing the overall structure of our society that makes polluting and wasting and emitting greenhouse gasses super easy to do. Ultimately, there has to be massive systems change that allows sustainable and clean living to be easier and accessible to everyone. With that being said, in this video essay, I will be looking to make people understand why humans are not the virus, and why putting that sweeping generalization onto all people is dangerous. There’s also a part of this video where I attempt to analyze the film Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind, and that’s because I think that movie truly shows why humans aren’t a virus for the Earth — even though it might not seem likely. I ultimately think Nausicaa effectively shows the potential for humans to act within nature, to act as part of the ecosystem. In a certain light, I also think the film shows the powerful potential of fighting to change the narratives surrounding a society. So, sit back and relax, grab some snacks, and enjoy.
Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind is a film directed by Hayao Miyazaki that was released in 1984. It’s a film that is set around 1,000 years after a great apocalyptic war destroys civilization as is presently known, creating a vast toxic jungle in the process. That jungle swarms with giant, mutant insects, and constantly spreads further to the remaining habitable parts of the planet. Those parts are inhabited by a few remaining human societies, the three ones in the film being the Tolmekians, the Pejites, and the people of the Valley of the Wind. The main themes of the story include heightened militarism paired with environmental destruction. Empathy is also a theme that’s present in the story, empathy that ranges to humans, but also beyond them to the creatures of the world that Miyazaki constructed.
The main conflict of the film centers around something called a Giant Warrior — essentially a giant, humanoid bioweapon that has once been used during the apocalyptic war that brought civilization to where it is in the film. Tolmekia, a military state, wants to use the Giant Warrior to attack the toxic jungle, and the insects within it, to stop its spread. The Pejites want to stop them, but the way they plan to do so is by luring the insects to the Kingdom of Tolmekia so that they can destroy it. Nausicaa, the princess of the Valley of the Wind, gets caught in the middle of all of this when a Tolmekian ship crash lands in the kingdom, killing a Pejitian princess that was captured on board, and causing the Giant Warrior to be stuck in their kingdom. That naturally causes the Tolmekians to siege the kingdom of the Valley of the Wind, their princess using it as the place to revive the Giant Warrior and plan the attack on the toxic jungle.
Part 1: Systemic causes for the delay in climate action, or why individuals are not to blame.
I don’t know why the thinking that implies that all of humanity is to blame for the current state of the environment is gaining traction. It could be because a literal virus is on our minds at the moment, and providing analogies to that is just the easiest way to imply the way nature is hurting also. If that’s the case, then that’s a completely insensitive analogy. Another reason could simply be that greenhouse gas emissions did decrease from the start of the quarantine period to April of 2020 (the time period of the Nature study). A lot of environmentalists and climate action advocates did rightfully conclude that this proves the necessity for systems change in our society. A small amount of stragglers, however, wanted to go to the extreme and demonize all of humanity. (A long sigh).
This line of thinking truly annoys me because it completely ignores the real causes for climate change, and other environmental problems — reasons that include colonialism, the rise of neoliberal economics, and overall conflictory attitudes towards nature in the Global North. Since the start of the Industrial revolution, greenhouse gas emissions have risen sharply, with the Global North nations being historically responsible for about 92% of global emissions. It’s interesting to note that, based on the study I cited before, China was within their fair share of emissions through 2015, though the country is at the potential of overshooting and being responsible for climate breakdown also.
Along with the emissions that started to grow from the onset of the industrial revolution, what really caused emissions to continue rising was both the rise of neoliberal economics and a concerted effort to spread disinformation by fossil fuel companies. For instance, Exxon knew about climate change as early as 1977, and spent a substantial amount of money to spread misinformation. Other than Exxon, other fossil fuel companies and executives spent a tremendous amount of money to lobby congress people and spread disinformation, with the most notable ones being the Koch brothers (read the Merchants of Doubt for an interesting story on that). Because of that disinformation campaign, and because of the vast lobbying reach that these companies and organizations have, an entire conservative base of the most powerful nation on Earth didn’t believe in climate science when gradual action could have been possible. That was the case, and continues to be the case, for countries like Australia also.
Other than a vast disinformation campaign, the rise of neoliberal economics also caused climate action to be delayed. Neoliberalism is an economic system that rose in global prominence during the Reagan and Thatcher eras, being best defined as an economic system that calls for privatization, deregulation, and spending cuts. Because the U.K. and U.S. were major influences on the global sphere, international organizations like the world bank and international monetary fund promoted neoliberal ideas to developing countries also, often subscribing neoliberal policies on those countries by handing out predatory loans. Those loans often have conditions that force countries to engage in neoliberal economics, and they can often be detrimental to those countries. For more information on that, here’s an article that outlines some of the problems with the IMF, and how China is using similar tactics today.
How this translates to a delay in climate action is actually quite simple. Ever since the rise of Neoliberal economics, countries, most notably in the global North., have increasingly overemphasized the role of markets in helping to combat climate change. For instance, the E.U.’s emissions trading system can be seen as a creation of an unique market, where the primary function of it is to help lower greenhouse gas emissions. The reason why that system is a function of neoliberalism is because the governments in that union created a market to deal with an issue, rather than creating a command and control, or largely a regulatory, response to help deal with climate change. For a more in depth analysis as to why the E.U.’s cap and trade system was a neoliberal response to the issue of climate change, I have written a paper linked here that outlines some more of the reasons why. On the global level, aspects of a neoliberal regime for international climate policy (looking at the Paris agreement in particular) caused an ambition gap for heeding off the worst effects of warming, a lack of transparency, and an equity gap where developed countries didn’t do nearly enough to mitigate their emissions when compared to developing ones (they don’t give the substantial amount of aid and technology transfers needed either).
Based on everything that I listed above, it’s quite clear to see that an average person in any nation is not solely responsible for the state of the environment in our present. In fact, complex societal features and concerted efforts by a fossil fuel and economic elite directly share a massive blame for the environmental degradation that has occurred since the beginning of the industrial revolution. Which, in a sense, beckons the need for drastic and swift systemic changes to occur in order to stave off the worst effects of climate change. And, a lot of those actions will need to be taken by the countries in the global North, and those actions need to include technology and knowledge transfers to developing countries, as well as direct aid. They will also include the need for consumption habits to change in the global North to give developing countries a chance to develop. They will also include the need to fight for a changing of narratives so that nature and humanity are not separate and at odds, but are one and cooperative. And that’ll only be achieved when people can understand that humans are not a virus on the Earth.
Part 2: Why Nausicaa of the valley of the wind shows how humans are not the virus, and why the fight to change narratives is so important.
If you ever watched Nausicaa, you’ll probably think it did nothing in showing humans as responsible stewards for the planet. In fact, the current state of the world in the movie was precisely caused by human arrogance and extreme militarism, with the apocalyptic war bringing the world to the state it is in the movie. Then why do I assert that this film is a good example in showing that humans are not a virus on the Earth? Well, I do so because, even though the movie shows humanities’ destructive nature, it also shows the capacity for humans to heal, and become one, with the planet. And, that capacity is best exemplified through the character of Nausicaa herself, by her constant striving in the film to avoid war, and by her understanding of the toxic jungle and the insects that inhabit it. Before I get to the character of Nausicaa, however, I will like to ponder over the three main societies that are shown in the film, and how these societies have distinct perspectives on the environment around them, and on the conflict that ensues in the film.
Let’s start with the obvious ones: the Tolmekians. The Tolmekians are a militaristic society in the movie, and overall have a conflictory attitude towards the other societies of the Earth in the film, and towards the toxic jungle of the film. Their conflictory attitude is, however, paired with the desire to build a prosperous world, “sharing” with the other societies that prosperity. (Does that sound like anyone perhaps?) As their princess, Kushana, thinks, a prosperous world cannot be made while the toxic jungle is present and spreading. Hence, the desire to burn the toxic jungle down, to halt its spread and to usher in a world of peace without the insects. This society is most notably akin to societies in real life that have more combative attitudes towards nature, seeing it as an obstacle towards human progress. The United States can be seen as an example of that kind of society, seeing nature as antithetical to human progress because of the narrative that was manifest destiny. Another example can be the European powers of the colonial period, viewing the world outside of Europe as savage and in need of civilization. That extended to the people outside of Europe, and to the natural world that surrounded them, the Europeans seeing themselves as tamers of beasts to share their prosperity.
The Pejites, on the other hand, are presented as a society that have only been baited into the war because of self defense. But, that doesn’t make them purely innocent either. The main goal of the Pejites was to revive the giant warrior for themselves so that they could use it on the toxic jungle instead of the Tolmekians. When the latter did get their hands on the warrior, however, the main goal was then to lure the insects of the toxic jungle to the Valley of the Wind, to destroy it so that the Tolmekians could be driven out. When Nausicaa hears about this plan, she begs the Pejites to stop it, that the price to pay for that is too much, even if the Tolmekians are driven out. But, in order to stop a monster (a figurative one and a literal one), the Pejites turn into monsters themselves. Thus, their addition into the story seems to serve as a cautionary foil to the society of the Tolmekians. What Miyazaki seems to be saying with them is that, even if a society sees themselves to be doing an ultimate good, if they are engaging in the same war methods as the most militaristic of societies to defend themselves, then they are ultimately participating in the destruction of other people, and of their own people, also. Simply, engaging in the same actions in a war can turn people into monsters, even if a society’s main purpose was to drive out the monsters in the first place. You can actually see that culminating when Nausicaa, the princess of the society that the Pejites are claiming to save, tells the Pejites, “you are just as bad as the Tolmekians.”
That brings us to the society of the Valley of the Wind, which are a people caught in the middle of the conflict, and are directly affected by it also. It’s actually interesting to note that both the Tolmekians and the Pejites are actively trying to save the people of the Valley of the Wind in some way, even when they didn’t ask for it. The Tolmekians are trying to save them from the toxic jungle, while the Pejites are trying to save them from the Tolmekians themselves. So, it’s perhaps accurate to say that both of those societies are suffering from some sort of savior complex. As for the people of the Valley of the Wind themselves, they have an interesting relationship with the environment around them. On one hand, you can see that they are more cooperative towards nature, using the wind for power, along with the resources of the toxic jungle, in the least exploitative way possible. They also understand the insects of the toxic jungle to an extent, doing whatever they can to not anger them, which includes not hurting them. Very much, they think of the jungle as something that should stay over there, while they stay in their own territory. The people of the Valley of the Wind are also contending with the spread of the toxic jungle, and you can see them fighting against the spread in the most peaceful way they know how — mostly by burning the toxic parts that spread to their own land. On the other hand, the people of the Valley of the Wind also have a matriarch, Obaba, the gram who is seen as the eldest wise lady of the society. With her, you can see a little bit of the philosophy that pertains to humanity in the film. In a well meaning way, she begs Kushana to not burn down the jungle, that the insects there will protect it at all costs. Other people of the Valley of the Wind also mention to Kushana: that it might take a day to burn the jungle, but it will take a hundred more for the wind and water to renew. When Obaba’s, and the other people of the Valley of the Wind, warnings go unheeded, and when the monster is revived, she laments on humanity and says the Earth knows that it’s wrong for us to survive, that we are ugly creatures. Thus, with the ugliness of humanity on display, she seems to imply that we are indeed all to blame, that we are indeed a virus on the world, and that it will be better if humanity was taken from the Earth. But, the film itself refuses to point us to that conclusion, and that’s because of the character of Nausicaa.
Nausicaa has an unique relationship to the world of this movie, and that spreads to the environment of it also. She has a much more robust understanding of the toxic jungle, and of the Ohm and other insect creatures of that jungle. She’s seen as studying the plants of it, understanding ways of cultivating them so that they aren’t toxic anymore, but instead purifying the air and water of her little laboratory room. She’s also seen as deeply understanding the nature of the insects of the jungle, realizing ways to calm them down, to guide them back to where they belong, all without hurting them. Her understanding of the jungle, and of the people around her as a war is going on, speaks to her kind and empathetic nature as a person, a trait that’s portrayed as an absolute strength rather than a weakness. It’s also interesting to note that her empathy doesn’t get framed as a weakness in other areas, as the movie shows her physical capabilities to hold on her own in the world around her (an absolute welcome break in the realm of women protagonists). Additionally, it’s also interesting to note that her empathy gets extended to even the environment around her, and shows the human capacity to protect nature, and to live in accordance with it. And to show the other people around her of this fact, she engages in a fight more important than anything else: the fight to change the narratives surrounding her society.
I already noted how each human civilization of the film understands human’s role with their environment in different ways — either in a conflictory way, a way that places humans above the environment, or which demonizes humans as a virus towards it. These perspectives are deeply entrenched, and the fight to change them is not easy, which makes Nausicaa’s struggles in the film much more compelling. She must continuously fight to end the beginning stages of a war that she knows will only create more destruction, and she must fight to make the people around her realize that the insects of the toxic jungle should not be used as mere pawns for that war. She wants people to understand the jungle, to understand the Ohms’ protective nature of it. And, she wants people to realize that, if given the chance, the jungle and the insects can be things that these people can live with peacefully, that it’s not a danger to them if they stop their destructive ways right now. In fact, the jungle and the insects can be something they all learn from. And, the only way she knows how to do that is by being the empathetic person she is, by being someone who has a deep love for all of life. Hence her need to save the baby Ohm at the expense of her own body. For that seemingly ugly creature, Nausicaa gets shot at, her foot burns from the acid of the lake, and she gets trampled on by that angry herd of Ohms when she faces them to only return their child. But, it is because of that empathy, of that selfless regard for all life, that the Ohms don’t destroy their society, and the rest of humankind with it. It is also through that act that the people around Nausicaa understand the Ohms to be beautiful and healing creatures, and that humankind can live with them peacefully. The Ohms, in turn, heal Nausicaa, and give the humans a deeper understanding of the natural world around them. Nausicaa, thus, successfully changes the narratives that surround her society, and additionally, shows how humans are not the virus. Because, if there is the capacity for one person to understand nature, and to protect it with sheer intensity, and learn to live with it cooperatively, then that capacity is within all people. Those people just have to change the narratives that surround them, so that they are able to see that capacity also.
Nausicaa of The Valley of the Wind is an absolute masterpiece in my opinion, and a film that I go back to a lot when I need some aspect of hope. Nausicaa, being a character whose main strength is her empathy, is someone I admire and feel for absolutely. Her struggle to change the narratives that stifle her society can also serve as a mirror to what should be our own struggle — a struggle that is immensely challenging, but essential if we are to understand what it means to live cooperatively with our natural world. That struggle will require us to take back the spotlight from actors who are fixated in keeping the old narratives alive — narratives that include humans’ rights to dominate nature, to be perceived as something above it, as separate from it. And, the best way to start is to make people understand that humans are not a virus for this Earth, that they are capable of living within the bounds of nature, and are able to understand and cooperate with it. That action, the need to make people understand that we are not a virus, is an action that is similar to Nausicaa’s, and one that will require as much empathy and hope and love for life as she has.
