We begin the IB Environmental Systems and Societies (IB ESS) course with an examination of the perspectives or viewpoints people have about environmental issues – the historical events and experiences that influence the way people think about the natural world and our role in it.
Then we look at systems thinking – how the inputs and outputs of every process are connected, whether it’s a natural ecosystem or a social system in human society.
The final part of the Foundations topic is the concept of sustainability – what it is, how it can be measured, and how it connects with questions of ethics and justice.
You can find resources for each subtopic by following the links below.
1.1 Perspectives
- How do different perspectives develop?
- How do perspectives affect the decisions we make concerning environmental issues?
1.2 Systems
- How can the systems approach be used to model environmental issues at different levels of complexity and scale?
1.3 Sustainability
- What is sustainability and how can it be measured?
- To what extent are challenges of sustainable development also ones of environmental justice?
Topic 1 Flashcards
Topic 1 Reading List
Founding Voices and Naturalists
Walden – Henry David Thoreau (1854)
Thoreau’s classic reflection on simple living in nature. This classic work of literature is one of the earliest texts to link human well-being to the natural world.
My First Summer in the Sierra – John Muir (1911) Muir’s diary from 1869. Muir was a mountain man who studied the natural world intimately and laid the foundation for the conservation movement. His journal captures the thinking of the man who founded the Sierra Club and championed national parks.
A Sand County Almanac – Aldo Leopold (1949) Introduces the “land ethic” — the idea that humans have a moral obligation to protect the natural world; foundational to environmental ethics (HL.c).
The Mountains of California – John Muir (1894) Another work by the father of conservation. Muir’s vivid descriptions of California wilderness. This read was instrumental in building public support for conservation.
Desert Solitaire – Edward Abbey (1968) Abbey’s passionate account of life in the American Southwest. This was one of my favorite books while I was studying conservation in university. Abbey helped launch the radical conservation movement.
The Monkey Wrench Gang – Edward Abbey (1975) Don’t construe this recommendation as an endorsement of environmental terrorism, because it is not. Abbey’s book captures the thinking and perspectives of extremists within the Deep Ecology movement.
The Modern Environmental Movement
Silent Spring – Rachel Carson (1962) Perhaps the single most important book in the history of the environmental movement. Even if you don’t read it, you MUST know this book for the IB ESS exams. Carson’s exposure of DDT’s effects sparked the US environmental regulatory system.
The Population Bomb – Paul Ehrlich (1968) Controversial but hugely influential book warning about overpopulation and resource limits. It sparked debate about carrying capacity and sustainability.
Limits to Growth – Donella Meadows et al. (1972) This is an early systems model predicting resource depletion and collapse. It shocked the world into discussing global ‘overshoot,’ or resource use beyond the planet’s carrying capacity. It’s foundational to sustainability thinking and the concept of planetary boundaries. The link takes you to the updated version of their book.
Small Is Beautiful – E.F. Schumacher (1973) Challenged unlimited economic growth and argued for human-scale, ecological economics. Clear connections to the HL.b environmental economics and HL.c environmental ethics lenses.
The Fate of the Earth – Jonathan Schell (1982) Examined the ecological consequences of nuclear war and broadened the environmental conversation to include existential risks to humanity.
Connections to other ESS topics
The Foundations topic links to every other topic within the ESS syllabus because the way people perceive and respond to environmental issues influences the solutions proposed for all other topics.
- Foundations: perspectives, systems, and sustainability (this topic)
- Ecology: how ecosystems function
- Biodiversity and conservation: evolution, threats, conservation measures
- Water: systems, access to freshwater, aquatic food production, and water pollution
- Land: soil, agriculture, forestry
- Atmosphere and climate change: causes, mitigation, adaptation
- Natural resources: use, choices, impact, waste
- Human populations & urban systems: sustainability, urban environments, air pollution*
- Higher Level ESS:
- HL.a Environmental law: rules for resource use, sustainability and justice
- HL.b Environmental economics: ecological economics, perspectives and sustainability
- HL.c Environmental ethics: moral responsibility toward the environment
Happy learning!
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