Climate Collapse Camp: Beyond Dystopia

### Climate Collapse Camp: Beyond Dystopia

A camp in Brandenburg prepares itself

by Annette Schlemm

[This article posted on 10/1/2025 is translated from the German on the Internet, https://www.sozonline.de/2025/10/jenseits-der-dystopie/.]



It has long been known that the capitalist mode of production and way of life only reproduces humans and non-human nature to a limited extent and ultimately destroys them. How long can this continue? For many, it has never been good, and now the so-called “polycrises” are also reaching the heart of the beast.

What is special about our time is that the well-known social harshness of capitalism is now accompanied by ecological devastation whose consequences can no longer be remedied. The upheaval in the climate, away from the relatively stable conditions of the last 10,000 years in the so-called Holocene to a hotter climate ravaged by extreme weather, is now also irreversible.

A just, reasonably acting society could deal with these circumstances fairly and in solidarity, so that collapse-like catastrophes do not occur. However, it is unlikely that a reasonable, non-capitalist, non-feudal, non-patriarchal, non-(post)colonial global society will be established in the coming years and probably decades. While we continue to struggle with this, we must also deal with the worst-case scenario and prepare for it in advance.

The possibility of the worst-case scenario is now being addressed politically under the term “collapse.” “Collapse” does not necessarily mean the immediate or imminent complete extinction of humanity, but rather stands for the process of many breakdowns in our living conditions, both natural and social: in infrastructure, food supply, and even the relative security in which many still live.

The opposite of resignation

The first Collapse Camp took place in northern Brandenburg at the end of August; the 700 tickets for participants were snapped up extremely quickly, and another 200 to 300 people gathered in the idyllic Kuhlmühle. Members of the climate movement, other groups critical of capitalism and the capitalist system, and many other people came together to discuss how we can deal with the ever-increasing likelihood of such collapses.

Only a few are leaving the movements against these dangers in frustration and turning their full attention to coping with collapse. Most are facing the danger of collapse from the perspective of their previous activities and striving to expand their skills so that they can meet possible collapses collectively and in solidarity.

In Leipzig, the term “solidarity prepping” was coined explicitly against the efforts of right-wing forces, which, on the surface, do the same thing, but in an individualistic way and, even as groups, primarily exclude others and act in a competitive and combative mode. As the situation becomes increasingly critical and we reject the right-wing pseudo-solutions, it is time to take a stand against them. Incidentally, collapse-conscious action is not in itself opposed to other struggles. Often, the tasks to be solved and the goals of struggling movements are the same as those pursued with collapse awareness.

In the workshops and on the panels at this camp, I often heard the answer to many questions: “We don't know.” After the camp, we can say: “But we are working on it together.” Those who take the possibility of “collapse” at face value are often accused by outsiders of promoting fatalism, resignation, and passivity, and of weakening the movements that are still fighting. The opposite is true.

Options for action

The camp program already stated that, first, we want to enable ourselves to act in immediate disasters; this begins with first aid courses and does not end with solidarity-based assistance in disaster situations. Second, we also want to ensure our ability to act through mental self-defense and by organizing protection for movements and places. And thirdly, we want to prepare for long-term capacity to act during the collapse by thinking about the supply of food, medicine, energy, etc. for everyone.

To be able to do this, we need support in dealing with the difficult emotions that no one can protect themselves from alone. “Community, community, community!” is part of the answer. Shared pain becomes strength—only in this way can we fight for the last piece of what is truly important to us. Losing illusions and giving up false hopes will then no longer shock and stop us.

Despite the difficult topic, the atmosphere at the camp and in most of the workshops was surprisingly good. Meeting acquaintances from various movements and the new communities was inspiring. I noted down many wise statements, e.g.: “Acceptance of collapse is not a state, but the developing knowledge that 1. it will be bad, and that 2. it is in our hands how bad it will be. That is why we ask 3. what we need to do about it, i.e. what we need to prepare now.”

What approaches do I recognize from the insights and experiences of the camp for eco-socialist endeavors under dystopian conditions? First of all, that security needs are important and must be addressed. They are often the reason why people join right-wing populist positions—we must offer them other answers to their concerns. Security through community and solidarity instead of individualization and the exclusion of others.

We must strengthen protection against attacks from the right, and we must extend occupational safety to include protection against the consequences of climate change, such as heat. Given the fundamental inability of the capitalist economy to meet the needs of all, but at most to satisfy “solvent demand,” consideration is also being given to taking over the supply, initially in the event of a crisis. This is expanding almost logically toward taking over the “entire bakery.” The (possible) collapse can thus become an opportunity for the socialization of vital infrastructure and means of production, combined with a reorientation from the profit principle to providing everyone with everything they need (except luxuries for those who have been privileged until now).

In order to move beyond the merely dystopian, we must not deny it. The collapses are likely to come; many are already here. The question is whether we can manage to face them fairly, together and in solidarity.

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