The Planetary
The Planetary
The Planetary
The Planetary
The Planetary

From new viruses to rising seas, many of our most urgent challenges are not contained by national borders. During the past several decades defined by globalization, nation-states and international organizations have focused on managing the worldwide flow of money, goods, people, services, and ideas. But many phenomena and flows that were once seen as mere background characters – such as microbes, atmospheric carbon compounds, oceanic plastics, the data flooding through algorithms, and more – have been revealed as central. Yet these non-human features do not care about our borders and political divisions. We are entering a new era, in which our pressing challenges exceed the narrow concerns of human beings. These challenges call for a conceptual break with traditional human-centered understandings of the world and its politics, toward processes and institutions that are planetary in scale and scope.

The Berggruen Institute’s Global to Planetary theme aims to clarify the political and philosophical implications of this shift and to develop new means and mechanisms to foster cooperation in addressing planetary challenges. Though the current backlash against globalization and interdependence creates obstacles to cooperation, the urgency of planetary concerns makes partnership crucial.

Projects

Outputs

2024 Planetary Summit in Venice Italy

"Planetary Realism" opening plenary by Nathan Gardels

Nils Gilman at the 2024 Planetary Summit in Venice Italy

"The Planetary: Past Time for a New Paradigm" opening plenary by Nils Gilman

Underwater whales

The Political Possibilities of Whale Translation

Planet Earth

"Governing for the planet" article in Aeon

prison corridor, photo by Carles Rabada

California will finally have indoor heat standards for workplaces — with a cruel exception

Cover photo of Children of a Modest Star

"Children of a Modest Star" published by Stanford University Press

Cover of Gongsheng Across Contexts

New Book by Bing Song, Director of Berggruen Institute China

Cosmic vision

Berggruen Fellows Aim to Reinvent Governance, Imagine Radically Different Futures for Global Systems and Institutions

The Planet Is A Political Orphan

Taking the World As the World – In Search of a Planetary World Order

How Nations Face Crises

Reimagining the Role of Cities & City Diplomacy in the Multilateral Order: Workshop Summary

Governing in the Planetary Age

The Origins of ‘Planetary Realism’ and ‘whole Earth’ Thinking

COVID-19 Response - Case Studies of Four Countries

21st Century Council Third Understanding China Conference 2018 Report

Events

Planetary Metaphysics photo

Planetary Metaphysics Colloquium

Pulmonata illustration

Los Angeles as a Site for Planetary Health

In That Golden Summer Time poster

The Problem of Heat on an Unequal Planet

Planetary Portal

Talk: Agnieszka Kurant and Nigel Warburton on Art in the Age of the Planetary