Climate Literacy in Education

Lessons about Animal-Human Relations:

Shaun Tan’s Tales from the Inner City in Education about the Climate Crisis and Animal Welfare

Justyna Deszcz-Tryhubczak

Keywords: animal welfare, biodiversity loss, climate crisis, human-animal studies, Shaun Tan

Abstract

This article introduces the course work with undergraduate students at the University of Wrocław, Poland, that involved discussing theoretical frameworks from human-animal studies and posthumanist thought while creatively engaging with Shaun Tan’s collection Tales from the Inner City. I propose that Tan’s stories can be used in education to address the deeply interconnected issues of the climate crisis, biodiversity loss, and animal welfare. Recognizing that climate change and biodiversity loss are deeply linked, I draw on research to argue that tackling these crises requires integrated strategies and a transformation of societal values toward care and accountability. Fostering awareness of animal welfare is seen as a crucial step in this shift. I then introduce the students’ contributions, which all show how Tan’s depictions of a range of human-animal relationships encourage reflection on both hopeful and uncomfortable aspects of these bonds.