Every subtopic of DP Environmental Systems and Societies, ready to teach.

Across 9 lessons and 3 topics, this unit establishes the frameworks students will apply throughout the course. It examines the spectrum of environmental worldviews — from anthropocentric to ecocentric — alongside the role of cultural and indigenous perspectives, then develops systems thinking through stores, flows, feedback loops, and tipping points, before addressing sustainability, environmental justice, and the challenge of balancing ecological, social, and economic needs.

Skills & assessment. Students practise identifying and comparing perspectives using command terms such as compare and evaluate, construct and interpret systems diagrams, and apply the concept of sustainability to real-world scenarios. Exam-style questions throughout build AO1 knowledge recall and AO3–AO4 analytical and evaluative skills from the outset.

Across 9 lessons and 3 topics, this unit develops core ecological understanding. Students examine the biotic and abiotic components of ecosystems, population growth and carrying capacity, and community interactions including succession. Energy flow through trophic levels, ecological pyramids, and primary and secondary productivity are then explored alongside the major biogeochemical cycles — carbon, nitrogen, water, and phosphorus — and how human activity disrupts them.

Skills & assessment. Lessons develop quantitative skills — calculating productivity, constructing pyramids of energy and biomass — alongside systems-diagram work for biogeochemical cycles. Exam-style questions address AO2 application and AO3 analysis, with evaluative tasks requiring students to assess the consequences of human disruption to these systems.

Across 9 lessons and 3 topics, this unit moves from defining and measuring biodiversity — genetic, species, and ecosystem dimensions, diversity indices, and global distribution patterns — to analysing the major threats including habitat loss, invasive species, overexploitation, and the current mass extinction crisis. Conservation strategies are then evaluated, comparing in-situ approaches such as protected areas and wildlife corridors with ex-situ methods including seed banks and captive breeding, alongside international agreements.

Skills & assessment. Students apply quantitative skills to calculate species richness and diversity indices, use command terms such as evaluate and discuss in conservation contexts, and practise constructing evidence-based arguments about the effectiveness of different strategies. Exam-style questions address AO1–AO4 across all three topics.

Across 9 lessons and 3 topics, this unit examines water as both a physical system and a resource under increasing stress. Students explore the hydrological cycle and aquatic ecosystems, then analyse freshwater scarcity, pollution, and integrated management strategies — including dams, irrigation, and desalination. The final topic addresses ocean systems, covering acidification, overfishing, and plastic pollution, and the limits of governance in restoring marine equilibrium.

Skills & assessment. Lessons build skills in evaluating management strategies using real-world case studies, interpreting data on water availability and ocean chemistry, and applying systems thinking to hydrological and marine contexts. Exam-style questions and evaluative tasks address AO2–AO4 throughout.

Across 9 lessons and 3 topics, this unit addresses the condition and management of terrestrial systems. Students examine soil formation and properties, the drivers of soil degradation, and restoration strategies, before analysing food systems — comparing industrial and small-scale agriculture, the causes of food insecurity, and sustainable farming approaches. Land-use change is then explored through deforestation, desertification, and rewilding as a restorative response.

Skills & assessment. Students practise evaluating the sustainability of land management strategies, comparing systems with contrasting ecological and social impacts, and applying command terms such as compare and contrast and assess. Exam-style questions build AO1–AO4 skills in soil science, food systems, and land degradation contexts.

Across 9 lessons and 3 topics, this unit examines the atmosphere as both a physical system and the site of the most significant contemporary environmental challenge. Students explore atmospheric structure, the natural greenhouse effect, and air pollution, then analyse the enhanced greenhouse effect, the evidence for anthropogenic climate change, and the operation of climate models and feedback mechanisms. The final topic evaluates ecological and social impacts alongside mitigation and adaptation strategies, including international agreements such as COP21 and COP27.

Skills & assessment. Lessons develop data-interpretation skills using temperature records, ice cores, and sea-level data, and build evaluative writing on the relative merits of mitigation and adaptation approaches. Exam-style questions target AO1–AO4, with particular emphasis on evidence-based reasoning and the evaluation of international responses.

Across 9 lessons and 3 topics, this unit examines the extraction, use, and management of natural resources. Students compare fossil fuels and renewable energy sources, analyse energy security, and evaluate the transition to sustainable energy systems. Mineral and material resources are then addressed through the environmental costs of extraction, electronic waste, and circular economy strategies. The unit closes by applying concepts of ecological footprint, carrying capacity, and the tragedy of the commons to the challenge of managing shared resources sustainably.

Skills & assessment. Lessons build evaluative skills in comparing resource strategies, applying ecological footprint analysis, and using command terms such as evaluate and justify in resource management contexts. Exam-style questions address AO2–AO4 throughout.

Across 6 lessons and 2 topics, this unit examines human population dynamics and the urban systems that house an increasing majority of the global population. Students analyse the demographic transition model, the factors shaping population growth, and the social and environmental consequences of population policies, before exploring urbanisation trends, urban environmental challenges — including heat islands and waste management — and the principles of sustainable city design.

Skills & assessment. Lessons develop skills in interpreting demographic data and population pyramids, evaluating the sustainability of urban planning strategies, and applying systems thinking to human settlement contexts. Exam-style questions address AO1–AO4 across both topics.

Across 9 lessons and 3 topics, this unit extends HL students' analysis beyond physical and ecological systems into the human frameworks that shape environmental decision-making. Environmental law is examined through national and international legal frameworks, key treaties, and the effectiveness of enforcement. Environmental economics introduces market failures, externalities, carbon pricing, and circular and doughnut economy models. Environmental ethics explores intrinsic versus instrumental values, ethical arguments around resource exploitation, and the relationship between environmental justice, equity, and sustainability.

Skills & assessment. Lessons develop the higher-order evaluative and philosophical reasoning expected at HL, with tasks requiring students to compare perspectives, construct ethical arguments, and assess the real-world effectiveness of legal and economic instruments. Command terms such as evaluate, discuss, and justify are foregrounded throughout.

Skills & assessment.