Voice of Commons

Having approached the 1.5°C threshold, our Global Commons — Antarctica, the Ocean, the Atmosphere, and Outer Space — face critical threats. These interconnected systems are vital to Earth’s stability and resilience yet remain voiceless in governance, excluded from decisions shaping our collective future. Antarctica risks catastrophic sea-level rise; the Ocean is acidifying; the Atmosphere is burdened with CO2 beyond safe limits; and Outer Space mirrors Earth’s legacy of extraction and control.
Voice of Commons amplifies the urgent need for governance architectures to protect the Global Commons for All-kind. It creates a space for dialogue, knowledge exchange, and collective imagination for sustainable futures, mobilising action from diverse platforms: a podcast series featuring leading interdisciplinary experts who bring planetary issues to the forefront, transforming eco-anxiety into action; “Speak- Up for the Global Commons,” a grassroots campaign inviting global citizens to lend their voice and sign a petition to create a constituency for the Commons; a Planetary Embassy, restored for the occasion after decades of disrepair, the historic 1952 Biennale Ticket Office designed by Carlo Scarpa is transformed into a Planetary Embassy that will broadcast, each day, voices of nation-state, stateless nation, or Indigenous community representatives, marking a historic first for many communities at the Biennale. A dense programme of conversations will amplify “Human and Non-Human Voices from the Past, Present and Future” exploring the potential of the Global Commons as laboratories for new democratic governance models.
Beyond Venice, Voice of Commons will stream from climate fora including the UN Ocean Conference and COP30. Endorsed with patronage by UNESCO, the UN Ocean Decade and ESA, Voice of Commons is the start of a movement.