DP IB Environmental Systems & Societies (ESS): SL Revision Notes 2024

Syllabus Edition

First teaching 2024

First exams 2026

1. Foundation

Factors Influencing Perspectives

Values & Environmental Perspectives

Worldviews & Environmental Perspectives

The Environmental Movement

The Systems Approach

Types of Systems

Stable Equilibrium & Feedback Mechanisms

Tipping Points & Resilience

Models

Introduction to Sustainability

Sustainable Development

Environmental Justice

Sustainability Indicators

Citizen Science

Sustainability Frameworks & Models

Alternative Economic Models

3. Biodiversity & Conservation

Biodiversity & Resilience

Evolutionary Processes

Assessing Biodiversity

Biodiversity Management

Threats to Biodiversity

Assessing Conservation Status

Conservation Case Studies

Tragedy of the Commons

Preserving Biodiversity

Conservation Strategies

Habitat Management & Designing Protected Areas

Rewilding

Biodiversity Planetary Boundary

Conservation Perspectives

4. Water

Hydrological Cycle

Human Impacts on the Hydrological Cycle

Factors Affecting Water Availability

Strategies for Increasing Water Supply

Addressing Water Scarcity

Aquatic Food Webs

Human Consumption & Increasing Demand

Unsustainable Harvesting Practices & Overexploitation

Mitigation Strategies

Aquaculture

Climate Change & Ocean Acidification

Sources of Water Pollution

Plastic Pollution

Monitoring & Assessing Water Quality

Eutrophication

Water Pollution Management Strategies

5. Land

Components & Structure of Soil

Functions & Properties of Soils

Land Use & Agricultural Systems

Traditional & Modern Agricultural Practices

Soil Conservation

Sustainability of Food Production Systems

Food Security

6. Atmosphere & Climate Change

Atmospheric Composition & Function

The Greenhouse Effect

Atmospheric Processes Affecting Climate

Causes of Climate Change

Impacts of Climate Change on Ecosystems

Impacts of Climate Change on Societies

Global Action & Decarbonisation

Climate Change Mitigation

Climate Change Adaptation

UV Radiation

Stratospheric Ozone

The Montreal Protocol

7. Natural Resources

Natural Capital & Natural Income

The Value of Natural Capital

Resource Sustainability

Resource Security & Choices

Energy Sources & Sustainability

Energy Consumption & Choices

Energy Storage & Conservation

Introduction to Waste

Environmental & Social Impacts of Waste

Waste Disposal

Waste Management

8. Human Populations & Urban Systems

Human Population Dynamics

Managing Human Population Growth

Population Composition & Modelling

Causes of Urban Air Pollution

Air Pollution Management Strategies

Acid Rain

Exam boards

DP IB Environmental Systems & Societies (ESS): HL

DP IB Environmental Systems & Societies (ESS): SL Revision Notes

1. Foundation

2. Ecology

3. Biodiversity & Conservation

4. Water

5. Land

6. Atmosphere & Climate Change

7. Natural Resources

8. Human Populations & Urban Systems