SYSTEMS THINKING
It is essential that the systems approach is used throughout this course. This approach identifies the elements of the systems, and examines the relationships and processes that link these elements into a functioning entity. This topic may be best viewed therefore as a theme to be used in the delivery of the other topics, rather than as an isolated teaching topic.
The topic identifies some of the underlying principles that can be applied to living systems, from the level of the individual up to that of the whole biosphere. It would therefore be helpful to describe and analyse the systems addressed in the terms laid out in this topic (wherever possible). The systems approach also emphasizes the similarities between environmental systems, biological systems and artificial entities such as transport and communication systems. This approach stresses that there are concepts, techniques and terms that can be transferred from one discipline (such as ecology) to another (such as engineering).
TOK questions
How does a systems approach compare to the reductionist approach of conventional science? How does methodology compare between these two approaches? What are the benefits of using an approach that is common to other disciplines such as economics and sociology?
Sustainability
The concept of sustainability is central to an understanding of the nature of interactions between environmental systems and societies. Resource management issues are essentially issues of sustainability, and students’ attention should be drawn to this throughout the course.
Holistic evaluation
It is important that students develop a holistic appreciation of the complexities of environmental issues, in which the interaction between environmental systems and societies is central. The course requires that students consider the costs and the benefits of human activities, both to the environment and to societies, over the short and long term. In doing so, students will arrive at informed personal viewpoints. They should be aware of and be able to justify their own position and to appreciate the views of others along the continuum of environmental philosophies. Their viewpoints may vary according to the issues being considered.
Local and global material
This course requires the study of environmental systems and societies at a range of scales from local to global, but the teaching of the course should be firmly rooted in the local environment. There are many references throughout the syllabus to “local examples”, and fieldwork will inevitably be based on local ecosystems. A national or regional perspective is appropriate for the study of certain issues such as resource management and pollution management. Many environmental issues are international in nature, such as climate change and management of the oceans. On a broader scale, the course naturally leads students to an appreciation of the nature of the international dimension, since the resolution of the major environmental issues rests heavily upon international relationships and agreements.
INSIGHTS FROM FAMOUS ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENTISTS
GARRETT HARDIN—THE TRAGEDY OF THE COMMONS
JARED DIAMOND—12 SERIOUS ENVIRONMENTAL PROBLEMS
EHRLICH AND EHRLICH—THE DOMINANT ANIMAL
LYNN MARGULIS—GAIA IS A TOUGH BITCH!
GREG CRAVEN'S WAGER—THE PRECAUTIONARY PRINCIPLE
The systems approach is central to the course and has been employed for a number of reasons. The very nature of environmental issues demands a holistic treatment. In reality, an environmental system functions as a whole and the traditional reductionist approach of science inevitably tends to overlook or, at least, understate this important quality. Furthermore, the systems approach is common to many disciplines (for example, economics, geography, politics, ecology). It emphasizes the similarities between the ways in which matter, energy and information flow (not only in biological systems but in, for example, transport and communication systems). This approach therefore integrates the perspectives of different disciplines.
Given the integrated nature of this subject, stressing the links between areas of the syllabus is critical and should be considered when planning the delivery of the course.
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