Introduction
At Higher Level (HL), IB Environmental Systems and Societies (ESS) expands beyond ecological science to include economics. For the 2026 first assessment, HL students must be able to explain how economic theories and policies shape sustainability outcomes.
This makes economics in ESS both challenging and exciting. It helps students see how resource use, environmental impacts, and global inequality are driven not just by science, but also by market systems, pricing, and international cooperation. To succeed, you’ll need to connect economics directly to sustainability case studies and exam questions.
Quick Start Checklist for HL Students
When revising economics and sustainability, make sure you can:
- Define sustainability in economic terms.
- Explain market failures and externalities.
- Link economics to resource management and ecological footprints.
- Evaluate policies such as taxes, subsidies, and trading schemes.
- Use case studies of economic solutions.
Economics and Sustainability in the ESS Syllabus
Economics appears in HL under three main themes:
- Resource Economics
- How resources are valued and priced.
- Why renewable resources are often undervalued.
- Overuse of common-pool resources (e.g., fisheries, forests).
- Market Failures and Externalities
- Environmental problems often occur because markets fail to account for external costs.
- Example: coal power appears cheap but ignores health costs and carbon emissions.
