Climate Literacy in Education

Post-apocalyptic Narratives for Climate Change Education

Chang Hasheminezhad-Li

University of Padova

Keywords: Post-apocalyptic narratives, Climate Change Education, hope education, agency, Retro-futurism

Abstract

This article examines the challenges of incorporating post-apocalyptic narratives into Climate Change Education (CCE). Drawing on current critiques, I identify the three major concerns: the potential to induce learner disempowerment and fatalism, the risk of narrative simplification that weakens critical impact, and the cultural specificity of predominantly Western works. Using Simon Stålenhag’s graphic novel The Electric State (2018) as a case study, this article demonstrates how carefully selected post-apocalyptic texts can address these challenges.