Course Outline

Environmental Systems and Societies represents the first attempt by the IB to produce a properly trans-disciplinary course in the Diploma Programme. It covers parts of Group 3 (Individuals and Societies) and Group 4 (Experimental Sciences). This means it has a human-centred approach, but it has scientific rigour and a large practical component.

The course is formally split into 8 topics (for the new syllabus, first examination 2017):

• Topic 1: Foundations of environmental systems and societies
• Topic 2: Ecosystems and ecology
• Topic 3: Biodiversity and conservation
• Topic 4: Water and aquatic food production systems and societies
• Topic 5: Soil systems and terrestrial food production systems and societies
• Topic 6: Atmospheric systems and societies
• Topic 7: Climate change and energy production
• Topic 8: Human systems and resource use

In addition, there should be a consistent thread of Theory of Knowledge running throughout the course. Because of its broad nature, Environmental Systems presents a lot of opportunities to think critically about the issues raised, ranging from the ethical responsibilities of humans to the value of the scientific method in environmental research.