IB Environmental systems and societies

Abiotic factors are the non-living physical and chemical elements, such as temperature, sunlight, and soil composition.

When an economy grows while its environmental impact, such as resource use or CO₂ emissions, falls in absolute terms at the same time.

Adaptation is a heritable trait that increases an organism’s chances of survival and reproduction in a particular environment.

Adaptation is the process of adjusting natural or human systems in response to actual or expected climate impacts, reducing harm or exploiting beneficial opportunities.

Adhesion is the attraction between unlike substances, often involving polar or charged surfaces.

Advection is the wind-blown transport of water vapour or condensed/frozen droplets from one region to another, helping connect local hydrological cycles globally.

Aeration is the exchange of gases between soil and the atmosphere.

Aerosols are tiny solid or liquid particles suspended in the atmosphere.

Aesthetic value refers to the beauty and visual appeal of natural landscapes, which inspire art, photography, and personal reflection.

An age-sex pyramid visually represents the composition of a population by age groups and gender.

Agricultural system refers to the combination of crops, livestock, technologies, and management methods used by farmers under specific environmental and socio-economic conditions.

Contamination of the indoor or outdoor atmosphere by chemical, physical, or biological agents that modify the natural characteristics of the air.

Albedo refers to how much solar energy is reflected by the Earth's surface.

Ammonification (a type of decomposition) converts organic nitrogen (e.g., amino acids, urea) into ammonia or ammonium ions.

Body structures that look or work alike in different species but evolved independently under similar pressures, not from a common ancestor. They are not evidence of close relationship.

Anoxia is the complete absence of dissolved oxygen.

Anthropocene means “the age of humans”, emphasizing the unprecedented role humans play in altering Earth’s geology, atmosphere, and biosphere.

Anthropocentrism places human needs at the centre of decision-making but supports managing natural systems for long-term sustainability.

The appeal to nature fallacy is the assumption that because something is "natural," it must be inherently good or correct, and if something is "unnatural," it must be bad or wrong.

Aquaculture is the controlled farming of aquatic organisms like salmon, tilapia, catfish, oysters and mussels.

Artificial selection, unlike natural selection, is a human-driven process in which specific traits are chosen for breeding in plants and animals.

Autotrophs are organisms that can synthesize their own food from inorganic sources of carbon (typically carbon dioxide, CO₂) and other essential elements.

Bioaccumulation refers to the process by which the concentration of non-biodegradable pollutants increases in an organism over time.

Biocapacity is the capacity of a biologically productive area to continuously provide renewable resources and assimilate the waste generated by human activities.