IB ESS Topic 1

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Anthropocentric

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A human-centered value system that places humans as the central species and assesses the environment from an exclusively human perspective.

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Closed systems

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Systems that only exchange energy with their surroundings.

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Pollution

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The addition of any substance or form of energy to the environment at a rate faster than the environment can accommodate it by dispersion, breakdown, recycling, or storage in some harmless form.

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Natural capital

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A store of natural resources that can produce a sustainable source of goods and services.

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Resilience

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The tendency of a system to maintain stability and resist tipping points.

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Ecocentric

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A value system that places intrinsic value on all living organisms and their natural environment, regardless of their perceived usefulness to humans.

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Technocentric

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A perspective that places technology at the center of environmental management and believes that technological solutions can solve environmental problems.

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Open systems

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Systems that exchange both matter and energy with their surroundings.

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Isolated systems

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Systems that do not exchange matter or energy with their surroundings.

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Tipping point

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A critical threshold at which a small change can lead to significant and often irreversible effects in a system.