Animal welfare is easy to talk about and harder to do: no matter the extent of your individual efforts in this sphere, global exploitation practices such as factory farming and the wildlife trade are increasingly widespread. But for philosopher Jeff Sebo, who specialises in animal and environmental ethics, how we care for other species – even the ones we don’t fully understand, such as insects – directly impacts humanity’s prospects of survival. In this conversation, which has been lightly edited and condensed for clarity, Sebo explains why animal welfare affects us all – and why we should pay more attention to the winged and six-legged creatures with whom we share the planet.

CARODY CULVER: You’re a philosopher who works primarily in bioethics, animal ethics and environmental ethics. What drew you to that line of work?