IB Environmental systems and societies Topic 1.3A Sustainability and Its Pillars Revision Notes (SL/HL)

IB Environmental systems and societies Topic 1.3A Sustainability and Its Pillars Revision Notes (SL/HL) | RevisionDojo

Written by official IB examiners

Sustainability: meeting present needs without robbing future generations

Definition

Sustainability

Sustainability is the natural capacity of ecosystems to maintain equilibrium between resource inputs and waste outputs while continuing to support life.

Sustainability means maintaining or improving the health of societal and ecological systems.
It does this without diminishing the capacity of future generations to meet their own needs.

What sustainability depends on

Resilience: systems must withstand disturbances such as droughts or market crashes.
Equilibrium: inputs and outputs should balance over long timescales.
Adaptability: systems must evolve to stay functional amid environmental or social change.

Resilience and sustainability are interlinked

Resilience lets a system recover from disturbance.
Sustainability ensures that recovery remains possible indefinitely.
Enhancing resilience raises sustainability because resilient systems adapt better to climate change, resource scarcity, and economic shocks.

Theory of Knowledge

Balancing economic growth against environmental protection is a central sustainability dilemma.
Should high-income countries bear more responsibility for global sustainability?

The three pillars: environmental, social, economic must all hold

Sustainability rests on three interconnected pillars.
Environmental pillar: preserve and responsibly manage natural resources, ecosystems, biodiversity, and the atmosphere.
Social pillar: ensure equity, well-being, and justice, including health, education, and human rights.
Economic pillar: grow economies in a way that is financially viable without exhausting resources or harming ecosystems.
The pillars are interdependent, so neglecting one weakens the whole system.

Example

Sustainable tourism environmentally minimises waste and habitat destruction.
Socially it supports local cultures and employment.
Economically it generates income without exhausting local resources.

The three pillars in balance

Weak vs strong sustainability: how far can nature be substituted?

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Definition

Paywall

(on a website) an arrangement whereby access is restricted to users who have paid to subscribe to the site.

anim nostrud sit dolore minim proident quis fugiat velit et eiusmod nulla quis nulla mollit dolor sunt culpa aliqua

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat.

Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit

Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum.

Note

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam quis nostrud exercitation.

Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident

Nemo enim ipsam voluptatem quia voluptas sit aspernatur aut odit aut fugit, sed quia consequuntur magni dolores eos qui ratione voluptatem sequi nesciunt. Neque porro quisquam est, qui dolorem ipsum quia dolor sit amet, consectetur, adipisci velit.

Tip

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat.

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit.
Sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua.
Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris.
Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum.

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Sustainability: meeting present needs without robbing future generations

Definition

Sustainability

Sustainability is the natural capacity of ecosystems to maintain equilibrium between resource inputs and waste outputs while continuing to support life.

Sustainability means maintaining or improving the health of societal and ecological systems.
It does this without diminishing the capacity of future generations to meet their own needs.

What sustainability depends on

Resilience: systems must withstand disturbances such as droughts or market crashes.
Equilibrium: inputs and outputs should balance over long timescales.
Adaptability: systems must evolve to stay functional amid environmental or social change.

Resilience and sustainability are interlinked

Resilience lets a system recover from disturbance.
Sustainability ensures that recovery remains possible indefinitely.
Enhancing resilience raises sustainability because resilient systems adapt better to climate change, resource scarcity, and economic shocks.

Theory of Knowledge

Balancing economic growth against environmental protection is a central sustainability dilemma.
Should high-income countries bear more responsibility for global sustainability?

The three pillars: environmental, social, economic must all hold

Sustainability rests on three interconnected pillars.
Environmental pillar: preserve and responsibly manage natural resources, ecosystems, biodiversity, and the atmosphere.
Social pillar: ensure equity, well-being, and justice, including health, education, and human rights.
Economic pillar: grow economies in a way that is financially viable without exhausting resources or harming ecosystems.
The pillars are interdependent, so neglecting one weakens the whole system.

Example

Sustainable tourism environmentally minimises waste and habitat destruction.
Socially it supports local cultures and employment.
Economically it generates income without exhausting local resources.

The three pillars in balance

Weak vs strong sustainability: how far can nature be substituted?

Definition

Paywall

(on a website) an arrangement whereby access is restricted to users who have paid to subscribe to the site.

anim nostrud sit dolore minim proident quis fugiat velit et eiusmod nulla quis nulla mollit dolor sunt culpa aliqua

Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit

Note

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam quis nostrud exercitation.

Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident

Tip

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit.
Sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua.
Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris.
Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum.

Topic 1: Foundation 3 subtopics

Topic 2: Ecology5 subtopics

Topic 3: Conservation and biodiversity3 subtopics

Topic 4: Water4 subtopics

Topic 5: Land2 subtopics

Topic 6: Atmosphere and climate change4 subtopics

Topic 7: Natural resources3 subtopics

Topic 8: Human populations and urban systems3 subtopics

HL lenses 3 subtopics

IB Environmental systems and societies 1.3A Sustainability and Its Pillars Notes

Topic 1: Foundation 3 subtopics

Topic 2: Ecology5 subtopics

Topic 3: Conservation and biodiversity3 subtopics

Topic 4: Water4 subtopics

Topic 5: Land2 subtopics

Topic 6: Atmosphere and climate change4 subtopics

Topic 7: Natural resources3 subtopics

Topic 8: Human populations and urban systems3 subtopics

HL lenses 3 subtopics

Sustainability: meeting present needs without robbing future generations

What sustainability depends on

Resilience and sustainability are interlinked

The three pillars: environmental, social, economic must all hold

The three pillars in balance

Weak vs strong sustainability: how far can nature be substituted?

anim nostrud sit dolore minim proident quis fugiat velit et eiusmod nulla quis nulla mollit dolor sunt culpa aliqua

Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit

Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident

Unlock the rest of this chapter with a free account

Sustainability: meeting present needs without robbing future generations

What sustainability depends on

Resilience and sustainability are interlinked

The three pillars: environmental, social, economic must all hold

The three pillars in balance

Weak vs strong sustainability: how far can nature be substituted?

anim nostrud sit dolore minim proident quis fugiat velit et eiusmod nulla quis nulla mollit dolor sunt culpa aliqua

Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit

Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident

Unlock the rest of this chapter with a free account