Let us imagine planet Earth as a pluriverse of peace, where coloniality and imperialism have ceased to exist and where nation-states and corporations no longer compete with one another – ultimately, a ‘multiplicity of worlds’ without war and environmental destruction, where different forms of life and knowledge coexist and where everyone works together to make life worth living for all. The majority of the world’s population currently dreams of such a world as the Peoples’ Climate Vote 2024 suggests. But who asks why we are trapped in a world of wars and environmental disasters? Who is drawing the necessary conclusions from the answers to this question? Who is working in the here and now on the desirable world of tomorrow?

Building on twenty-five years of critical engagement, the BG’s 2025 text series will continue and expand BG’s work with struggles in and against the environmental crisis by linking it to war – and by focusing on emancipatory struggles against an environmental-war complex and for a pluriverse of peace. Read more about this in the introduction. The Call for Papers is open until November 1. Read more about the CfP here.

A three-day international conference on these topics will be held in Berlin (Oct. 16-18), bringing together researchers, artists, and activists from more than 25 countries. Click here to register.

Concept note by the organisers Magdalena Taube and Krystian Woznicki, co-founders of Berliner Gazette:

Emancipatory movements in Europe and beyond have either lost momentum or are facing unprecedented repression. Meanwhile, private sector elites (and their political allies) have taken off their white gloves, pursuing profit, power, and prestige in ways that are increasingly barbaric. Given the current situation, in which short-term progress seems more out of reach than ever, it is time to explore the root causes of our dire predicament and what it will take to create a radically better world for everyone. To this end, the BG’s “Pluriverse of Peace” conference focuses on the (im-)possibilities of peace and environmental politics.

“The endless accumulation of capital” (Wallerstein) through market-driven mass production, financialization, etc. has depleted resources and polluted the planet. This has made ecosystems more vulnerable and unstable, which also affects markets and economies. Competition for resources and control of supply chains leads to territorial conflicts. War has become an increasingly common means of defending ‘national economies.’ Meanwhile, the resource-intensive rise of the global war regime creates a disastrous ecological footprint that exacerbates environmental collapse. At this juncture, various forms of environmental warfare are emerging, involving the use of extreme weather, pollution, or terraforming as weapons.

To break this vicious cycle, it is necessary to ask and discuss the deeper questions about the polycrisis and rethink strategies and alliances to articulate our shared desire for liberation and just transition. Tackling the structural dimension, the conference addresses the class interests behind the resurgence of militarism and the increasingly reactionary responses to the climate crisis. For those who would like to explore the topic before the conference, the “Pluriverse of Peace” text series, which has been published on BG | berlinergazette.de since early 2025, provides different viewpoints and initial food for thought.