Why this Age of Polycrisis Demands a New Kind of Peace

The author argues that the contemporary polycrisis, characterized by escalating geopolitical tensions, ecological breakdown, growing inequality, and democratic fragility, requires a fundamental rethinking of peace. Rather than defining peace solely as the absence of war, the article advances the concept of planetary peace, a holistic framework that links peace within individuals, among societies, and with nature. Developed through the Club of Rome’s Planetary Peace Initiative, this vision seeks to address the structural drivers of conflict, including ecological degradation, extractive economic systems, technological misuse, and colonial legacies. The author advocates for regenerative living, planetary consciousness, bioregional cooperation, citizen sovereignty, and the integration of diverse knowledge systems as foundations for a more just, sustainable, and peaceful future in an increasingly interconnected and unstable world.