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IB Environmental Systems & Societies revision notes Group 3 / 4 · Interdisciplinary · SL / HL
Topic 1 gives you the three tools used in every other topic: how people see the environment, how to model it as a system, and how to judge sustainability.
Course topics 1 · Foundation · Perspectives, systems, sustainability · 6 subtopics 2 · Ecology · Individuals, populations, communities, ecosystems, energy and matter · 5 subtopics 3 · Biodiversity and conservation · Measuring biodiversity, threats, conservation strategies · 3 subtopics 4 · Water · Water systems, access, aquatic food production, pollution · 4 subtopics 5 · Land · Soil, agriculture and food · 2 subtopics 6 · Atmosphere and climate change · Atmosphere, climate change causes and impacts, ozone, acid rain · 4 subtopics 7 · Natural resources · Resource use, energy sources, solid waste · 3 subtopics 8 · Human populations and urban systems · Population dynamics, urban systems, urban air pollution · 3 subtopics Free lesson: 1 · Foundation Environmental value system (EVS) A worldview that shapes how someone sees environmental issues System Parts linked by flows of energy and matter Sustainability Using resources in a way that doesn't reduce what future generations can use System type Energy Matter Example Open Exchanged Exchanged A forest, a lake Closed Exchanged Not exchanged Earth (almost) Isolated Not exchanged Not exchanged None exist naturally
Transfers move energy or matter to a new place (water flowing in a river). Transformations change its state or form (evaporation, photosynthesis).Negative feedback stabilises a system. Positive feedback pushes it further from equilibrium and can lead to a tipping point.EVS spectrum: ecocentric (nature first) ↔ anthropocentric (people manage nature) ↔ technocentric (technology will solve problems).Worked example Is melting Arctic sea ice an example of positive or negative feedback? Explain.
Less ice means a darker ocean surface. A darker surface absorbs more sunlight (lower albedo). More absorbed heat melts more ice. The change amplifies itself, so it is positive feedback . Common mistakes Calling Earth an open system. It is close to a closed system. Mixing up transfers and transformations. Thinking positive feedback is “good”. It means amplifying, not beneficial. Describing an EVS without linking it to how that person would act. Quick check Earth is best described as… a closed system . Earth exchanges energy (sunlight in, heat out) but almost no matter.
What does negative feedback do? Stabilises the system . It counteracts change and brings the system back towards equilibrium.
Water evaporating from a lake is a… transformation . Liquid to gas is a change of state, so it is a transformation.
Someone who believes new technology will solve pollution holds a … view. technocentric . Technocentrists trust technology and human ingenuity to fix environmental problems.
FAQ What topics are in IB Environmental Systems & Societies? IB Environmental Systems & Societies (SL / HL) is organised into: 1 · Foundation; 2 · Ecology; 3 · Biodiversity and conservation; 4 · Water; 5 · Land; 6 · Atmosphere and climate change; 7 · Natural resources; 8 · Human populations and urban systems.
Are these IB Environmental Systems & Societies notes free? Yes. The topic pages, key terms and the first lesson are free. The full lessons, interactive diagrams and exam-style practice papers with mark schemes are in the FortyFive app, which you can start for free.
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