IB DP ESS Resources

Oxford Resources for IB

Developed in cooperation with the IB and matched to the first teaching 2024 subject guide,
these inquiry-based resources motivate learners to build interconnected subject
knowledge:
• Oxford Resources for IB DP Environmental Systems and Societies: Course Book
• Oxford Resources for IB DP Environmental Systems and Societies: Kerboodle

Explore the resources here:

https://global.oup.com/education/content/secondary/series/ib-environmental-systems-
and-societies/?region=international

IBO
MyIB has the new guide, TSM, specimen assessments with mark schemes and more:
https://resources.ibo.org/dp/subject/Environmental-systems-and-societies-2026/?

Websites - General
• The CIA World Fact Book with detailed facts about the world and countries:
https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/
• Facts and statistics on global environmental issues: https://ourworldindata.org/
• Market and consumer data site: https://www.statista.com/
• World bank - funds development project, articles and data:
https://www.worldbank.org/en/home
• Peer-reviewed papers and journals: https://www.sciencedirect.com/
• Belgian non-profit organization, aims to bring complex scientific consensus reports
on health and the environment to the reach of non-specialists:
http://about.greenfacts.org
• Online database maintained by the World Resources Institute:
http://earthtrends.wri.org/
• Links to updates on environmental issues as do daily newspaper and other media
channel websites: http://news.bbc.co.uk/
• The Encyclopaedia of the Earth - Comprehensive resource for objective, science-
based information about the environment:
https://www.environmentandsociety.org/mml/encyclopedia-earth

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 • A huge site from the US space agency, Earth sections are full of data: www.nasa.gov
• Peer-reviewed papers in a respected journal: https://www.nature.com/
• UK weekly science magazine with reputable articles and reviews, on climate change,
seas, biodiversity: www.newscientist.com
• National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration - A US federal agency, full of info
on climate, oceans and coasts: www.noaa.gov
• Global review and internet gateway with very readable articles on many topics:
www.peopleandplanet.org/
• UN Environment Programme: www.unep.org
• UNESCO’s Man and the Biosphere programme:
https://www.unesco.org/en/mab/about
• A 25-year-old environmental think-tank with great articles and publications about
the state of the Earth: www.wri.org
• Oxfam International – charity and NGO that works around the world@
www.oxfam.org.uk
• Gapminder - various statistics on a range of topics: http://www.gapminder.org/
• Science articles from Australia: http://www.abc.net.au/science/
• Stanford University site for environmental ethics articles: https://plato.stanford.edu
• UN Data portal: https://population.un.org/dataportal/home
• World Bank: https://data.worldbank.org/

Concepts
• UNDP SDGs: https://www.undp.org/sustainable-development-goals
• Doughnut economics model: https://doughnuteconomics.org/about-doughnut-
economics
• Circular economy model: https://ellenmacarthurfoundation.org/
• Planetary boundaries model: https://www.stockholmresilience.org/

Ecology
• Links to hundreds of environmental sites: www.envirolink.org/
• Blue Planet Biomes: https://www.blueplanetbiomes.org/

Citizen science
• Global site to link citizens with projects: https://scistarter.org/citizen-science
• The GLOBE programme coordinates hands-on science projects between schools
around the world: www.globe.gov

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 • Connects citizens and scientists and runs expeditions:
https://earthwatch.org/about/overview
• US Environment Protection Agency: www.epa.gov/
o Has some good links: www.epa.gov/students/

Biodiversity
• Worldwide Fund for Nature: www.panda.org
• IUCN: www.iucn.org/
• The entry point to the IUCN Red Lists of endangered species: www.iucnredlist.org
• Encyclopaedia of life: www.eol.org

Climate change
• IPCC website with their reports and views: www.ipcc.ch
• US Environment Protection Agency site: www.epa.gov/climatechange/

Human populations
• One of many sites with current human population data:
https://www.worldometers.info/world-population/
• UN Population Fund, international development agency that promotes the right of
every woman, man and child to enjoy a life of health and equal opportunity:
www.unfpa.org/
• UN Economic and Social Affairs Department searchable population database:
http://esa.un.org/wpp/unpp/
• US government census site with dynamic population pyramids:
https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/international-programs/about/idb.html
• Population pyramids: https://www.populationpyramid.net/
• International Institute for Sustainable Development think tank: www.iisd.org/
• World Health Organization: https://www.who.int/
• UNDP HDI reports: https://hdr.undp.org/data-center/human-development-
index#/indicies/HDI

Resources
• Forest stewardship council: https://fsc.org/en
• Marine stewardship council - how to eat sustainable seafood: https://www.msc.org/
• Rewilding Europe information on projects: https://rewildingeurope.com/

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Ecological footprints
• Ecological footprint calculator: www.footprintnetwork.org
• Carbon footprint calculator: www.carbonfootprint.com/

Energy resources
• International energy agency with annual surveys on World Energy Outlook:
https://www.iea.org/
• International Atomic Energy Agency: https://www.iaea.org/
• National renewable energy laboratory (US): https://www.nrel.gov/
• British Petroleum site, one of the world’s largest energy providers. BP reports are
full of information: www.bp.com
• Another big energy company with some renewables information: www.shell.com

Water
• Find practical solutions to water issues: www.wateraid.org
• Water resources booklets: www.ifpri.org/publication/world

Food and soil

• Soil made exciting by NASA again: http://soil.gsfc.nasa.gov/
• Food resources: http://soilerosion.net/
• UN Food and Agriculture Organization database: http://faostat.fao.org/
• International Food Policy Research Institute: www.ifpri.org/

Pollution
• Everything you need to know about recycling plastics:
www.eia.doe.gov/kids/energyfacts/ saving/recycling/solidwaste/plastics.html

Books
This is a small selection of books relevant to ESS that you may have time to look at. As you
see, warnings about environmental damage by humans are not new. See if your school
library has these or persuade the librarian to get some of them.
• 2023 The Earth Transformed by Peter Frankopan
• 2022 The Climate Book edited by Greta Thunberg
• 2022 Regenesis by George Monbiot
• 2022 How to avoid a climate disaster by Bill Gates
• 2021 There is no Planet B by Mike Berners-Lee

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 • 2019 The Uninhabitable Earth by David Wallace-Wells
• 2017 Half Earth by E O Wilson
• 2015 This changes everything by Naomi Klein
• 2011 Where the wild things were by William Stolzenburg
• 2007 The revenge of Gaia by James Lovelock
• 1991 Steady state economics by Herman E Daly
• 1989 The end of nature by Bill McKibben
• 1972 The limits to growth by Donella H Meadows
• 1962 Silent Spring by Rachel Carson
• 1949 A sand country almanac by Aldo Leopold
• 1854 Walden by Henry David Thoreau

These pages contain resources and website addresses for further reading. It is not
exhaustive and is a personal choice. But it is a start. We cannot be sure that the addresses
will not change but most are of established organizations and should be there for some
time. As things change so rapidly on the Earth, the data may well date quickly and we
recommend that you look at more recent data if necessary. Many university websites
contain lecture notes and presentations on topics in this book. Some ESS teachers have
produced course websites. Happy reading.

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