IB ESS Syllabus as per IBO Latest Curriculum

Chapter 1: Fundamentals of ESS 

• Environmental Value Systems 

• • A SOCIETY is a collection of people who share certain qualities.
  • An organism’s or plant’s ENVIRONMENT is the external surroundings that operate on it and influence its survival.
  • A SYSTEM consists of distinct components that are interconnected and influence one another.
  • An environmental value system (EVS) is a worldview or set of paradigms that influences how a person or group perceives and evaluates environmental challenges.

• Systems and Models

• • A system comprises:

Always use the same format for system diagrams, with storages (boxes) connected by arrows (flows). They should be as aesthetically straightforward as feasible.

• • • Storages – The locations in a system where matter or energy is stored.
    • Flows-which offer energy and matter inputs and outputs. The flows may be any of the following:
    • Transfers (a change in location) (a change in location)
    • Transformations (a change in the chemical nature, a change in condition or a change in energy) (a change in the chemical nature, a change in state or a change in energy)

• Energy and Equilibria 

• • Energy cannot be created or destroyed, according to the First Law of Thermodynamics (law of conservation of energy).
  • According to the Second Law of Thermodynamics, the movement of energy through a system is inefficient and energy is converted to heat.

• Sustainability 

• • Sustainability is the utilization of world resources at a rate that permits natural regeneration and minimizes environmental damage.
  • Sustainable development is defined as “filling the demands with the present without jeopardizing future generations’ ability to satisfy their own needs.”
  • Environmental Impact Assessment, Ecological Footprints, and The Millennium Ecosystem Assessment are Sustainability Indicators.

• Human and Pollution 

• • Pollution is the addition of a harmful material to an environment at a faster pace than it can be eliminated, with observable effects on the species in the ecosystem.
  • The insecticide Dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT) has both advantages and problems.
  • Management of Pollution: Altering Human Activities, Regulating Activities, Cleaning Up Afterward, and Integrating Policies

Chapter 2: Ecosystem and Ecology 

• Species and Population 

• • Species – A species is a group of interbreeding creatures that create fertile progeny.
  • Habitat- A species’ habitat is the biotic and abiotic environment in which it generally resides.
  • Niche – Ecological niche is best described as the place, time, and manner in which an organism survives. It depends not just on where an organism lives (its habitat), but also on what it performs.
  • Abiotic Factors– Nonliving environmental components.
  • Biotic factors – living parts of the environment.

• Communities and Ecosystem 

• • A community consists of multiple species coexisting, whereas the term population refers to only one species.
  • A group of interconnected species (the biotic component) and the physical environment (the abiotic component) that they inhabit constitute an ecosystem.
  • During photosynthesis, light energy is converted into chemical energy, which is then stored in biomass.
  • The quantity of creatures (producers and consumers) coexisting in an ecosystem is represented as a pyramid of numbers.
  • A biomass pyramid represents the energy and matter storage at each trophic level, represented in measures such as grammes of biomass per square metre (gm–2).
  • Pyramids of biomass indicate the current stock, while pyramids of productivity demonstrate the pace at which this stock is being created.

• Flows of Energy and Matter
  
  • Primary Productivity — the increase in energy or biomass by producers (autotrophs) per unit area per unit time.
  • Gross Primary Productivity (GPP) equals the mass of glucose produced by photosynthesis per unit area per unit time in primary plants.
  • Net Primary Productivity (NPP) is the increase in energy or biomass per unit area per unit time by producers after accounting for respiration losses (R).
  • Secondary Productivity – the biomass obtained by heterotrophic organisms by feeding and absorption, measured in mass or energy per unit area per unit time.

• Biomes, Zonation, and Succession
  • Distribution of biomes is determined by insolation (sunlight), temperature, and precipitation levels.
  • Zonation refers to changes in the spatial distribution of communities along an environmental gradient.
  • Succession occurs when a species modifies the habitat it has colonised to make it more conducive for subsequent species.
  • The nature of a climax community is determined by climatic and edaphic (soil-related) variables. Human factors commonly cause disruptions to this process.
• Investigating Ecosystems 

• • A dichotomous key is a useful tool for the identification of unfamiliar organisms.
  • Diversity of species is a consequence of two factors: the number of distinct species and the proportional number of individuals within each species.

Chapter 3: Biodiversity and Conservation 

• Introduction to Biodiversity 

• • The term “biological diversity” is the origin of the word “biodiversity.” The idea encompasses environment, species, and genetic variety
  • Conservation refers to “preserving what we have.”
  • The purpose of conservation is to save habitats, ecosystems, and species from anthropogenic disruptions, such as deforestation and pollution. 
• Origins of Biodiversity

• • Charles Darwin was the originator of the theory of evolution through natural selection. Because species exhibit variation, the individuals that have best adapted to their environment are the most successful.
  • Natural selection alters the genetic makeup of a species through time, which, when combined with isolation, can lead to speciation.
  • Isolation is fundamental to the speciation process.
  • A period in which at least 75 percent of all species on Earth perished at the same time.

• Threats to Biodiversity

• • Rates of Species Loss: 30,000–60,000 species each year, 100–100,000 times higher than the background extinction rate
  • Causes of species extinction: natural and human factors
  • Due to the necessity to generate cash for local economies, ecosystem exploitation is frequent in LICs, whereas HICs can maintain ecosystems because they do not rely on them for income.
  • Red List – Information that evaluates the global conservation status of species.
  • The degree of endangerment of a species, measured on a sliding scale ranging from “least concern” to “extinct.”

• Conservation of Biodiversity

• • Conservation Organizations can be multinational, governmental, or non-governmental, with varied degrees of success due to their use of media, their speed of response, diplomatic restraints, finances, and influence when pursuing conservation.
  • International zoos have been preserving rare or critically endangered animals for many years to protect them from the risks they encounter in the wild.
  • The goal of captive breeding operations is to maintain population size and genetic variety so that animals can be returned to the wild after their native habitats have been safeguarded.
  • Water, Aquatic, and Food Production Systems and Societies

Chapter 4: Water, Aquatic, Food Production Systems, and Societies

• ​​Introduction to Water Systems

• • The hydrological cycle is the water cycle between the biosphere, atmosphere, lithosphere, and hydrosphere.
  • A system is any collection of interconnected components that function as a unit.
  • Evapotranspiration is the sum of evaporation and transpiration losses.

• Access to Freshwater

• • Future stress on the availability of fresh water is anticipated to increase. This could be the outcome of global warming
  • An example of a technocratic environmental value system is redistribution.
  • Include flood and drought management, irrigation, hydroelectric generation, enhanced navigation, recreation, and tourism among the benefits of dams. 

• Aquatic Food Production Systems 

• • The Sustainable Yield is the growth per unit of time (i.e. the rate of increase).
  • Since the 1990s, the aquaculture industry has exploded. Aquaculture is the commercial farming of fish, typically for human consumption.
  • Specifying a minimum mesh size for fishing nets.

• Water Pollution

• • Sources of water contamination include runoff, sewage, industrial discharge, solid domestic waste, transportation, recreation and tourism, and energy waste.
  • As a river’s degree of organic pollution rises, the Trent Biotic Index is calculated based on the absence of indicator species.
  • The term eutrophication refers to the enriching of streams, ponds, and groundwater with nutrients.
  • Algal blooms, often known as red tide, are huge concentrations of aquatic microorganisms.

Chapter 5: Soil Systems, Terrestrial Food, Production Systems and Societies

• Introduction to Soil systems

• • A soil profile is a vertical cross-section of a soil that is split into horizons (distinguishable layers).
  • Gains and losses of material to and from the profile, water movement between horizons, and chemical transformations within each horizon are soil-forming processes.
  • Triangular graphs are used to display data that can be broken down into three sections, such as the amount of sand, silt, and clay in a soil. 

• Terrestrial Food Production Systems 

• • Several factors influence the sustainability of terrestrial food production systems, including the degree of reliance on agriculture and the value of agricultural products.
  • Globally, food production and distribution are very unequal. In terms of sustainability, the use of water, fertilisers, pesticides, and mechanisation, food production systems vary.
  • Sociocultural influences affect dietary preferences and the evolution of diverse food production systems.

• Soil Degradation and Conservation

• • Degradation and erosion are the deterioration of the quantity and quality of soil. Degradation of the soil decreases soil fertility.
  • Revegetation, Measures to halt bank erosion, Measures to stop gully enlargement, Crop management, Slope run-off control, Erosion prevention from point sources such as roads and feedlots, Wind erosion suppression. 

Chapter 6: Atmospheric Systems and Societies

• Introduction to Atmosphere 

• • The biosphere effects the Earth’s atmosphere, while the atmosphere influences the biosphere.
  • Insolation refers to solar radiation entering a region.
  • The gases produce a “thermal blanket” that maintains an average temperature on Earth that is conducive to life.
  • These gases, which behave similarly to glass in a greenhouse, are known as greenhouse gases.
  • Troposphere — the lowest layer of the atmosphere, stretching from the surface of the Earth to the tropopause (between 10 km and 15 km).
  • The stratosphere is a layer of the Earth’s atmosphere that extends from the tropopause to approximately 50 kilometres.
  • Albedo is the quantity of incoming radiation reflected by the surface and atmosphere of the Earth.

• Stratospheric Ozone 

• • Increased UV radiation harms ecosystems by destroying plant tissues and plankton.
  • UV exposure can also result in DNA alterations. Additionally, there are unfavorable effects on reproduction.
  • The 1987 Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer is the most significant and effective international environmental pact. 

• Photochemical Smog 

• • Pollution by volatile organic compounds (VOCs), carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, black carbon or soot, unburned hydrocarbon, oxides of nitrogen (NOx), and oxides of sulphur results in the formation of smog.
  • Primary pollutant – The primary cause of photochemical smog (ground level/tropospheric ozone) is the concentration of urban motor traffic.
  • Secondary pollutant — tropospheric ozone or ground-level ozone — is produced by nitrogen oxide reactions (NOx).
  • Tropospheric ozone — “bad” ozone found at ground level, i.e., in the troposphere, and created when oxygen molecules combine with nitrogen dioxide molecules in the presence of sunlight.

• Acid Deposition

• • Acid deposition is the acidification of precipitation and dry deposition.
  • The first sort of Pollution Management approach is to adjust human behaviour and reduce the creation of pollutants. The most effective long-term solution is to reduce SOx and NOx emissions.

Chapter 7: Climate Change and Energy Production

• Energy Choices & Security 

• • Both renewable and nonrenewable sources of energy can produce energy.
  • Energy Security is a nation’s capacity to meet all of its energy requirements, whereas energy insecurity refers to a lack of control over energy sources.
  • Sustainability is the utilisation of resources at a rate that permits natural regeneration and/or minimises environmental damage.

• Climate Change, Causes and Impact

• • Warm ocean currents transport water away from the equator, while cold ocean currents transport water from cold regions towards the equator.
  • Specific Heat Capacity – Specific heat capacity is the amount of energy required to raise the temperature of 1 gramme of a substance by 1 degree Celsius.
  • Air Motion – The differential heating of the Earth’s surface is the fundamental cause of air motion.
  • Climate sensitivity is a measure of how much the climate of the Earth will cool or warm in response to a change in the climate system, such as how much it will warm in response to a doubling of carbon dioxide concentrations.

• Climate change – Mitigation and Adaptation

• • Reduction and/or stabilization of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and their removal from the atmosphere constitute mitigation.
  • Decarbonization – It refers to a significant reduction in carbon dioxide per gross world output value.
  • Adaptation is the process of coping with the effects of climate change.

Chapter 8: Human System and Resources Use 

• Human Population and Dynamics 

• • The crude birth rate is the number of births per one thousand individuals in a population.
  • The definition of population mortality is the number of live births per thousand persons in a population.
  • The total fertility rate is the average number of births per woman of reproductive age.
  • The natural increase rate (NIR) is the population growth resulting from the birth rate exceeding the mortality rate.
  • DT is the amount of time it takes for a population to double in size.
  • Cultural, historical, religious, social, political, and economic variables influence the birth rate.
  • The death rate is influenced by a variety of factors, such as the age structure of the population, the availability of clean water, sanitation, and suitable housing, etc.
  • China’s one-child policy is the most well-known anti-natalist measure. 

• Resource Use in Society 

• • Natural Capital refers to the sum of all natural resources.
  • Sustainability is living within nature’s means (i.e. on the ‘interest’ or sustainable income created by natural capital) and ensuring that resources are not degraded (i.e. natural capital is not depleted and/or contaminated) so that future generations can continue to utilize them. 

• Solid Domestic Waste 

• • Solid domestic waste consists of household waste and garbage but excludes faeces.
  • Landfill refers to the disposal of garbage on or into the earth.
  • Incineration is the process of burning garbage.
  • Composting is the decomposition/natural decay of organic matter and its application as a soil fertiliser.

• Carrying Capacity & Ecological Footprints

• • Carrying capacity is the maximum number of a species or “load” that an environment can sustainably maintain.
  • The optimal population is the number of individuals who, when utilizing all available resources, generate the best economic return per capita. It is the point at which a population enjoys the best quality of life and standard of living.
  • Overpopulation happens when there are too many people compared to the available resources and technology to achieve the highest possible level of living. They suffer from natural disasters such as drought and hunger and have low earnings, poverty, bad living conditions, and a high emigration rate.
  • Underpopulation occurs when there are considerably more resources in a region (such as food production, energy, and minerals) than can be utilized by the population to attain the optimal level.
  • A population’s ecological footprint is the amount of land needed to provide all of its resources and absorb all of its wastes.

References:

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