DP IB Environmental Systems & Societies (ESS): HL
Exam Questions

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

Introduction to Ecological Systems, Classification & Taxonomic Tools, Human Populations, Factors Affecting Populations, Population Growth, Studying Populations, Ecosystem Functioning & Sustainability, Classification (HL), Fundamental & Realised Niches (HL), Life Cycles (HL)

Energy Flow in Ecosystems, Photosynthesis, Respiration, Trophic Levels & Food Chains, Food Webs, Energy Losses in Food Chains, Productivity & Biomass, Ecological Pyramids, Human Impacts on Energy & Matter Flows, Autotrophs & Heterotrophs (HL), Primary & Secondary Productivity (HL), Sustainable Yield (HL), Ecological Efficiency (HL)

Biogeochemical Cycles, Carbon Cycle, Human Impacts on the Carbon Cycle, Reducing Human Impacts on the Carbon Cycle, Carbon Stores (HL), Nitrogen Cycle (HL), Human Impacts on the Nitrogen Cycle (HL)

Weather & Climate, Biomes, Atmospheric Circulation & Ocean Currents, Climate Types (HL), El Niño Southern Oscillation (HL), Tropical Cyclones & Climate Change (HL)

Zonation, Succession, Resilience & Stability of Ecosystems, Factors Influencing Succession (HL), Productivity During Succession (HL), Reproductive Strategies (HL), Climax Communities (HL)

Biodiversity & Resilience, Evolutionary Processes, Assessing Biodiversity, Biodiversity Management, Genetic Diversity (HL), Reproductive Isolation (HL), Biodiversity Hotspots (HL), Human Impacts on Evolutionary Processes (HL), The Geological Timescale (HL), Mass Extinctions (HL), The Anthropocene (HL)

Threats to Biodiversity, Assessing Conservation Status, Conservation Case Studies, Tragedy of the Commons, Threats to Biodiversity Hotspots (HL), Key Biodiversity Areas (HL), Traditional Indigenous Approaches to Land Management (HL), Conservation & Environmental Justice (HL), Loss of Biosphere Integrity (HL)

Preserving Biodiversity, Conservation Strategies, Habitat Management & Designing Protected Areas, Rewilding, Biodiversity Planetary Boundary, Conservation Perspectives, Conservation Organisations (HL), Rewilding & Habitat Restoration (HL), Assessing Conservation Success (HL), Ecotourism (HL)

Hydrological Cycle, Human Impacts on the Hydrological Cycle, Physical & Chemical Properties of Water (HL), Carbon Sequestration & Ocean Acidification (HL), Water Stratification (HL), Upwellings & Ocean Circulation (HL)

Factors Affecting Water Availability, Strategies for Increasing Water Supply, Addressing Water Scarcity, Freshwater Use (HL), Water Stress (HL), Addressing Water Stress (HL), Water Equity Issues (HL)

Aquatic Food Webs, Human Consumption & Increasing Demand, Unsustainable Harvesting Practices & Overexploitation, Mitigation Strategies, Aquaculture, Climate Change & Ocean Acidification, Productivity & Nutrient Dynamics in Oceans (HL), Fish Stock Assessment & Sustainable Harvesting (HL), Recovery of Overexploited Fish Species (HL), Regulation & Ethics of Marine Harvesting (HL)

Sources of Water Pollution, Plastic Pollution, Monitoring & Assessing Water Quality, Eutrophication, Water Pollution Management Strategies, Water Quality in Aquatic Ecosystems (HL), Sewage Treatment (HL), Indicators of Water Quality (HL), Drinking Water Standards (HL), Reducing Water Pollution (HL)

Components & Structure of Soil Systems, Functions & Properties of Soils, Soil Profiles & Horizons (HL), Factors Influencing Soil Formation (HL), Soil Composition & Properties (HL), Soil Carbon Release (HL)

Land Use & Agricultural Systems, Traditional & Modern Agricultural Practices, Soil Conservation, Sustainability of Food Production Systems, Food Security, Factors Affecting Agricultural Choices (HL), Alternative Farming Approaches (HL), Regenerative Farming Systems (HL), Technological Innovations in Agriculture (HL), Sustainability of Different Diets (HL), Sustainability of Harvesting Wild Species (HL), Sustainability of Lower Productivity Food Systems (HL), Food Distribution, Quality & Malnutrition (HL)

Atmospheric Composition & Function, The Greenhouse Effect, Atmospheric Dynamics & Processes (HL), Atmosphere & Altitude (HL), Milankovitch Cycles (HL), Hothouse Earth (HL), Atmospheric Composition & Evolution of Life (HL)

Atmospheric Processes Affecting Climate, Causes of Climate Change, Impacts of Climate Change on Ecosystems, Impacts of Climate Change on Societies, Climate Monitoring & Data Collection (HL), Global Climate Models (HL), Critical Climate Thresholds & Tipping Points (HL), Climate Change Responsibility & Vulnerability (HL)

Global Action & Decarbonisation, Climate Change Mitigation, Climate Change Adaptation, Responses to Climate Change (HL), Greenhouse Gas Emissions Scenarios (HL), Climate Technology & Geoengineering (HL), Climate Management & Intervention Challenges (HL), Climate Stakeholders & Perspectives (HL)

UV Radiation, Stratospheric Ozone, The Montreal Protocol, Ozone Depletion (HL), Polar Stratospheric Ozone Depletion (HL), Chlorofluorocarbons & Hydrofluorocarbons (HL)

Natural Capital & Natural Income, The Value of Natural Capital, Resource Sustainability, Resource Security & Choices, Use of Natural Capital (HL), Environmental Impact Assessments (HL), Unsustainable Use of Renewable Resources (HL), Natural Resource Security (HL)

Energy Sources & Sustainability, Energy Consumption & Choices, Energy Storage & Conservation, Energy Security (HL), Fossil Fuel Reserves (HL), Nuclear Power (HL), Battery Storage (HL)

Introduction to Waste, Environmental & Social Impacts of Waste, Waste Disposal, Waste Management

Human Population Dynamics, Managing Human Population Growth, Population Composition & Modelling, Population Growth & Environmental Stress (HL), Dependency Ratio & Population Momentum (HL), Population Patterns & Trends (HL), Environmental Migration (HL)

Urban Areas, Urbanisation, Urban Expansion, Urban Planning, Ecological Urban Planning (HL), Urban Sustainability Models (HL), Green Architecture (HL)

Causes of Urban Air Pollution, Air Pollution Management Strategies, Acid Rain, Photochemical Smog (HL), Tropospheric Ozone Impacts (HL)