Practice 8.2 Urban systems and urban planning with authentic IB Environmental systems and societies (ESS) exam questions for both SL and HL students. This question bank mirrors Paper 1, 2 structure, covering key topics like ecosystems, human impact, and sustainability. Get instant solutions, detailed explanations, and build exam confidence with questions in the style of IB examiners.
Paper
Level
Question 1
SLPaper 2
1.[4]
Outline four ways urbanization may influence processes in the hydrological cycle.
2.[7]
Hydropower is a resource that can be exploited from rivers. Discuss how the value of this resource to a society may vary over time.
3.[9]
To what extent are water scarcity issues better addressed through behavioral interventions than through technological development?
Question 2
SLPaper 2
1.[4]
Using named examples, distinguish between the concept of a “charismatic” (flagship) species and a keystone species.
2.[7]
Explain the role of two historical influences who shaped the development of the environmental movement.
3.[9]
Discuss the role of environmental value systems in the protection of tropical biomes.
Question 3
SLPaper 2
1.[4]
Explain how soil can be viewed as an ecosystem.
2.[7]
Compare and contrast the impact of humans on the carbon and nitrogen cycles.
3.[9]
Examine the role of humans in the destabilization of ecological systems.
Question 4
SL & HLPaper 2
The figure shows Growth in global lithium production, 1995 to 2022
*
(Source: "Lithium production”, part of the following publication: Hannah Ritchie, Pablo Rosado and Max Roser (2023) - “Energy”. Data adapted from Energy Institute. Retrieved from OurWorldinData.)
1.[2]
Explain whether lithium is renewable or non-renewable natural capital.
2.[2]
Natural capital is valued for many different reasons. List two ways in which natural capital may be valued.
3.[2]
The status of natural capital can change over time. This means that something that may be of value now, may have not been in the past. Or something that may have been valuable in the past, may no longer be now. Using one example, explain how this is possible.
4.[2]
Explain how the tragedy of the commons impacts non-renewable natural capital.
Question 5
SLPaper 1
The resource booklet provides information on Algonquin Provincial Park in Canada. Use the resource booklet and your own studies to answer the following.
Figure 7(b): Fact file on beaver hunting
- By 1900 beavers had been hunted almost to extinction for their pelts (skin and fur).
- The IUCN classify beavers as “least concern” on the Red List.
- There are 19 registered trap lines in Algonquin Provincial Park where beavers may be trapped for their pelts by First Nation (indigenous) people.
- All trappers must have a licence, and may only trap during the hunting season using ethical traps.
- 135 000 beavers are still trapped and killed in Canada each year.
- The price for a beaver pelt was US$19 in 2015, compared to US$500 a pelt in 1940.
- Many landowners trap beavers on their property because of the damage they cause. (Beavers cut timbers and their dams can create floods causing millions of dollars of economic damage.)
1.[2]
With reference to Figure 7(b), calculate the percentage reduction in the price of beaver pelt between 1940 and 2015.
2.[1]
Identify one reason why the value of beaver pelts has changed over time.
Question 6
SLPaper 2
1.[4]
Identify four ways solar energy reaching vegetation may be lost from an ecosystem before contributing to the biomass of herbivores.
2.[7]
Suggest a series of procedures that could be used to estimate the net productivity of an insect population in .
3.[9]
To what extent are the concepts of net productivity and natural income useful in managing the sustainable harvesting of named resources from natural ecosystems?
Question 7
SLPaper 2
1.[9]
Examine the potential for designing a protected forest area that allows for the harvesting of natural resources while at the same time conserving its biodiversity.
2.[4]
Identify four factors making the estimation of carrying capacity more problematic for human populations than other species.
3.[7]
Explain why the ecological footprint of two populations consuming the same quantity offood and energy may be different.
Question 8
SLPaper 2
1.[9]
Increasing concern for energy security is probable to lead to more sustainable energy choices.
Evaluate the validity of this statement, using named references.
2.[4]
Outline four different ways the value of named resources have changed over time.
3.[7]
Renewable resources are not always sustainable due to the activities involved in their production.
Justify this statement for a named source of renewable energy.
Question 9
SL & HLPaper 2
1.[4]
Outline how nuclear energy is an example of the dynamic nature of a resource.
2.[7]
Explain how an enhanced greenhouse effect can lead to climate change.
3.[9]
To what extent are the individual actions of each country more important than global actions when dealing with climate change?
Question 10
SLPaper 2
1.[4]
Outline two ecosystem services in a named biome.
2.[7]
Explain the causes, and the possible consequences, of the loss of a named critically endangered species.
3.[9]
Using examples, discuss whether habitat conservation is more successful than a species-based approach to protecting threatened species.