A World Without Plants
Ein Zukunftsszenario über Verlust, Abhängigkeit und Hoffnung
Photosynthese Null – Was bleibt ohne Pflanzen?
Der experimentelle Kurzfilm A World Without Plants zeigt in animierten Bildern ein spekulatives Szenario: Ein fremdes Raumschiff raubt der Erde ihre grüne Grundlage – und löst damit einen ökologischen und gesellschaftlichen Zusammenbruch aus.
Ausgehend von dieser dystopischen Vision entfaltet der Film eine emotionale Zeitleiste des ökologischen Zerfalls – vom Zusammenbruch der Nahrungskette über den Verlust von Lebensräumen bis zur Frage nach unserer eigenen Überlebensfähigkeit.
Der Film entsteht im Rahmen eines Videoseminars an der TU Braunschweig, das sich inhaltlich an den Leitmotiven des Deutschen Pavillons auf der Architekturbiennale 2025 orientiert. Das Seminar nutzt den thematischen Fokus der Biennale – die klimatische Überhitzung und ihre psychischen wie räumlichen Folgen – als Ausgangspunkt für individuelle filmische Interpretationen zwischen Realität und Fiktion. Er setzt sich mit den psychischen und räumlichen Folgen der Klimaüberhitzung auseinander. Zwischen Science-Fiction und Realitätsnähe stellt der Film eine Frage, die aktueller kaum sein könnte:
Wie lange halten wir ohne Pflanzen durch – und was tun wir, um es nie herauszufinden?
Script für die Animation
A World Without Plants
Imagine this: a colossal alien mothership hovering ominously above Earth’s lush forests, fertile farmlands, and sprawling fields, systematically extracting every trace of plant life. Every leaf, stalk, and seed vanishes into the unknown, leaving the planet stripped of its green foundation. Their purpose? A mystery. But the question that lingers is this: what would such an unprecedented event mean for Earth? From the immediate chaos to the long-term unraveling of life as we know it, how would the disappearance of plants transform the world? And what would the timeline of this ecological collapse look like?
Understanding the consequences of a plant-less world reveals how quickly life on Earth would unravel.
Within the first week, the most immediate and striking consequence would be the halt of photosynthesis. Terrestrial plants are responsible for producing about 30% of the world’s breathable air, with the remainder being attributed to phytoplankton in oceans. Without their presence, the regeneration of oxygen would come to an abrupt halt. Though atmospheric oxygen reserves could sustain human life for decades, rising carbon dioxide levels would intensify the greenhouse effect and accelerate global warming. Herbivores, reliant on plants, would face rapid starvation within just a few days, triggering a domino effect through the food web as species struggle to survive without their usual sources of nutrition leading to the slow but steady collapse of ecosystems.
In the year following the disappearance of plants, ecosystems around the globe would begin to rapidly deteriorate. Rainforests, grasslands, and coral reefs—vibrant biodiversity hotspots responsible for climate regulation—would quickly collapse further destabilizing the environment. Without the roots of plants to anchor the soil, erosion would become rampant, leading to widespread desertification and the loss of fertile land essential for life on Earth. Food systems would disintegrate as crops and livestock feed vanish, sparking global famine while industries built around agriculture and food production would unravel. Economies and governments would falter under the strain of resource shortages, and societal structures would begin to break down.
A decade later, the atmospheric impact would worsen. Oxygen levels, dependent on plants for regeneration, would plummet, making life increasingly inhospitable for most species. As the oxygen supply dwindles, the planet would become increasingly inhospitable to most complex organisms, pushing many species to the brink of extinction. With the collapse of entire ecosystems, biodiversity would be drastically reduced, and only extremophiles—organisms capable of surviving in the harshest, most hostile environments—would remain. The planet would shift towards a desolate and unrecognizable state, where life as we know it would be limited to only the most resilient forms of life.
The idea of a world without plants may seem like an unlikely and far-fetched scenario, but there are real and significant threats that could potentially turn this nightmare into a harsh reality. Extreme climate change is already pushing global temperatures to levels that could surpass the tolerance of many plant species, jeopardizing their survival.
Efforts to protect and restore plant life are crucial. Reforestation and combating deforestation are vital strategies, but not all initiatives are created equal. Monoculture plantations, for example, often prioritize profit over environmental health, depleting soil quality and disrupting ecosystems. Some programs even undermine restoration by harvesting timber after planting. To ensure long-term impact, reforestation must focus on transparent, community-driven efforts that focus on planting diverse, native species that are better suited to local environments and more resilient to changing conditions. By emphasizing long-term sustainability and working in harmony with the natural ecosystem, these initiatives ensure that the plants planted today will thrive, enriching the land and supporting the biodiversity we depend on for generations to come.
Plants are the silent architects of life on Earth. By understanding just how deeply we depend on them for the health of our planet and protecting them, we safeguard our own future. After all, a world without plants is not just a barren wasteland—it’s a world without us.
Seminar WS2024/25, SS2025 Institut für Landschaftsarchitektur Vertreten durch Prof. Gabriele G. Kiefer Betreut von Anika Neubauer, Thilo Aschmutat Seminar WS2024/25, SS2025 Institut für Landschaftsarchitektur Vertreten durch Prof. Gabriele G. Kiefer Betreut von Anika Neubauer, Thilo Aschmutat
A World Without Plants
Ein Zukunfts -szenario über Verlust, Abhängigkeit und Hoffnung
Photosynthese Null – Was bleibt ohne Pflanzen?
Was wäre, wenn plötzlich alle Pflanzen verschwinden würden?
Der experimentelle Kurzfilm A World Without Plants zeigt in animierten Bildern ein spekulatives Szenario: Ein fremdes Raumschiff raubt der Erde ihre grüne Grundlage – und löst damit einen ökologischen und gesellschaftlichen Zusammenbruch aus.
Ausgehend von dieser dystopischen Vision entfaltet der Film eine emotionale Zeitleiste des ökologischen Zerfalls – vom Zusammenbruch der Nahrungskette über den Verlust von Lebensräumen bis zur Frage nach unserer eigenen Überlebensfähigkeit.
Der Film entsteht im Rahmen eines Videoseminars an der TU Braunschweig, das sich inhaltlich an den Leitmotiven des Deutschen Pavillons auf der Architekturbiennale 2025 orientiert. Das Seminar nutzt den thematischen Fokus der Biennale – die klimatische Überhitzung und ihre psychischen wie räumlichen Folgen – als Ausgangspunkt für individuelle filmische Interpretationen zwischen Realität und Fiktion. Er setzt sich mit den psychischen und räumlichen Folgen der Klimaüberhitzung auseinander. Zwischen Science-Fiction und Realitätsnähe stellt der Film eine Frage, die aktueller kaum sein könnte:
Wie lange halten wir ohne Pflanzen durch – und was tun wir, um es nie herauszufinden?
Script für die Animation
A World Without Plants
Imagine this: a colossal alien mothership hovering ominously above Earth’s lush forests, fertile farmlands, and sprawling fields, systematically extracting every trace of plant life. Every leaf, stalk, and seed vanishes into the unknown, leaving the planet stripped of its green foundation. Their purpose? A mystery. But the question that lingers is this: what would such an unprecedented event mean for Earth? From the immediate chaos to the long-term unraveling of life as we know it, how would the disappearance of plants transform the world? And what would the timeline of this ecological collapse look like?
Understanding the consequences of a plant-less world reveals how quickly life on Earth would unravel.
Within the first week, the most immediate and striking consequence would be the halt of photosynthesis. Terrestrial plants are responsible for producing about 30% of the world’s breathable air, with the remainder being attributed to phytoplankton in oceans. Without their presence, the regeneration of oxygen would come to an abrupt halt. Though atmospheric oxygen reserves could sustain human life for decades, rising carbon dioxide levels would intensify the greenhouse effect and accelerate global warming. Herbivores, reliant on plants, would face rapid starvation within just a few days, triggering a domino effect through the food web as species struggle to survive without their usual sources of nutrition leading to the slow but steady collapse of ecosystems.
In the year following the disappearance of plants, ecosystems around the globe would begin to rapidly deteriorate. Rainforests, grasslands, and coral reefs—vibrant biodiversity hotspots responsible for climate regulation—would quickly collapse further destabilizing the environment. Without the roots of plants to anchor the soil, erosion would become rampant, leading to widespread desertification and the loss of fertile land essential for life on Earth. Food systems would disintegrate as crops and livestock feed vanish, sparking global famine while industries built around agriculture and food production would unravel. Economies and governments would falter under the strain of resource shortages, and societal structures would begin to break down.
A decade later, the atmospheric impact would worsen. Oxygen levels, dependent on plants for regeneration, would plummet, making life increasingly inhospitable for most species. As the oxygen supply dwindles, the planet would become increasingly inhospitable to most complex organisms, pushing many species to the brink of extinction. With the collapse of entire ecosystems, biodiversity would be drastically reduced, and only extremophiles—organisms capable of surviving in the harshest, most hostile environments—would remain. The planet would shift towards a desolate and unrecognizable state, where life as we know it would be limited to only the most resilient forms of life.
The idea of a world without plants may seem like an unlikely and far-fetched scenario, but there are real and significant threats that could potentially turn this nightmare into a harsh reality. Extreme climate change is already pushing global temperatures to levels that could surpass the tolerance of many plant species, jeopardizing their survival.
Efforts to protect and restore plant life are crucial. Reforestation and combating deforestation are vital strategies, but not all initiatives are created equal. Monoculture plantations, for example, often prioritize profit over environmental health, depleting soil quality and disrupting ecosystems. Some programs even undermine restoration by harvesting timber after planting. To ensure long-term impact, reforestation must focus on transparent, community-driven efforts that focus on planting diverse, native species that are better suited to local environments and more resilient to changing conditions. By emphasizing long-term sustainability and working in harmony with the natural ecosystem, these initiatives ensure that the plants planted today will thrive, enriching the land and supporting the biodiversity we depend on for generations to come.
Plants are the silent architects of life on Earth. By understanding just how deeply we depend on them for the health of our planet and protecting them, we safeguard our own future. After all, a world without plants is not just a barren wasteland—it’s a world without us.
Seminar WS2024/25, SS2025 Institut für Landschaftsarchitektur Vertreten durch Prof. Gabriele G. Kiefer Betreut von Anika Neubauer, Thilo Aschmutat Seminar WS2024/25, SS2025 Institut für Landschaftsarchitektur Vertreten durch Prof. Gabriele G. Kiefer Betreut von Anika Neubauer, Thilo Aschmutat