When I have asked pupils the question ‘what will be the greatest challenge that mankind will face in the next 50 years’ many give the reply ‘climate change’. Young people today are increasingly aware and concerned about the impact that mankind is having upon the planet.
Through studying IB Environmental Systems and Societies (ESS), pupils will be provided with a coherent perspective of the interrelationships between environmental systems and societies, with an emphasis on sustainability; one that enables them to adopt an informed personal response to the wide range of pressing environmental issues that they will inevitably come to face.
Pupils will be able to study the IB Environmental Systems and Societies course successfully with no specific previous knowledge of science or geography. However, as the course aims to foster an international perspective, awareness of local and global environmental concerns and an understanding of the scientific methods, a course that shares these aims would be good preparation. ESS is an interdisciplinary subject so allows flexibility within the IB programme and prepares students for any degree with ecological content and supports a degree leading to a Biological Science or for those who study Geography.
- IB ENVIRONMENTAL SYSTEMS AND SOCIETIES
Entry requirements: No specific subject requirements, just an interest in the world.
As an interdisciplinary subject, it offers flexibility within the IB programme and prepares pupils for degrees with an ecological focus, including those in Biological Sciences or Geography.
The course covers the following areas:
- Foundations of environmental systems and societies – perspectives, systems and sustainability.
- Ecosystems and ecology – ecosystem structure, energy in ecosystems, biogeochemical cycles, climate, zonation and succession.
- Biodiversity and conservation – evolution, human impact on biodiversity, conservation and regeneration.
- Water – systems, access, security, aquatic food production systems and water pollution.
- Land – soil, agriculture and food.
- Atmosphere and climate change – the atmosphere, climate change – cause, impact, mitigation, stratospheric ozone.
- Natural Resources – use and management of natural resources and energy, solid waste.
- Human populations and urban systems – population dynamics, urban systems and planning, urban air pollution.
Assessment:
The course culminates in two linear examinations, sat at the end of two years.
Paper 1 – Questions will be based on the analysis and evaluation of data provided in a previously unseen case study worth 25%
Paper 2 – Section A (40 marks) short-answer and data-based questions.
Section B (20 marks) answer one structured essay question from a choice of two – worth 50%Internal assessment – worth 25%
ALUMNI
Lucy Bethell neé Heaney
Associate Director, Contaminated Land Specialist at Mott MacDonald
Crossways/Oakeley, 1998
“I am passionate about environmental protection and the positive social impact this brings. In my role as an Environmental Consultant at Mott MacDonald, a global multidisciplinary engineering consultancy, I work on a diverse range of projects around the world. My role draws on the subjects I enjoyed at Gresham’s including maths, the sciences, geography and languages. I am a strong advocate for change and adopt a holistic, integrated and collaborative approach to tackle the big environmental challenges we face.”