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Globe Showing Europe Africa

Unit 1 - Foundations Of Environmental Systems & Societies

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Herb

Unit 2 - Ecosystems & Ecology

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Flexed Biceps

Unit 3 - Biodiversity & Conservation

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Writing Hand

Unit 4 -Water & Aquatic Food Production Systems & Societies

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Deciduous Tree

Unit 5 - Soil Systems & Terrestrial Food Production Systems & Societies

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Cloud

Unit 6 - Atmospheric Systems & Societies

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Thermometer

Unit 7 - Climate Change & Energy Production

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Briefcase

Unit 8 - Human Systems & Resource Use

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Bar-Chart

Internal Assessment

Think of a system like you would your favorite video game, or the social media apps you spend your free time on!

The Systems Approach is like the universal translator in a sci-fi movie. It helps us understand different things&mdash;like environmental systems, biological systems, and even human-made systems (like your city&#39;s subway or Instagram)&mdash;using the same language. This way, we can apply ideas from one area (like ecology, the study of organisms and their environment) to another (like economics, the study of money and resources). Think of it as like using the same controls to play different games on your console!

A system has a few main parts&mdash;think of these as the key ingredients in your favorite recipe:

<ul>
	<li>Inputs and Outputs: These are like the &#39;give and take&#39; of a system. The inputs can be energy, matter, or information entering the system, and the outputs are what the system produces. Imagine when you post a picture on Instagram: your picture and captions are the inputs, while the likes and comments you get are the outputs.</li>
	<li>Storages: These are like your game console&#39;s memory or your phone&#39;s storage&mdash;where the system stores its important stuff.</li>
	<li>Flows: These are the transfers or movements within the system&mdash;like passing the ball in a soccer match or sharing a viral meme online.</li>
	<li>Processes: These are what the system does with what it has, like photosynthesis in a plant or your brain solving a math problem.</li>
	<li>Feedback Mechanisms: Like the notifications you get on your phone, these are the system&#39;s ways of responding to changes.</li>
</ul>

Imagine a woodland community of trees&mdash;like the hundred-acre woods from Winnie the Pooh! Here&#39;s how the systems approach applies:

<ul>
	<li>Components: The different species of trees are the components, like the individual players in a game.</li>
	<li>Interrelations: The trees aren&#39;t just standing next to each other&mdash;they&#39;re interacting, like players on the same team. They compete, cooperate, and contribute to changes in the community (like succession).</li>
	<li>Integrated Whole: The trees together form a woodland&mdash;just like your individual posts and interactions form your social media presence.</li>
	<li>Flows: There are transfers of matter and energy between the trees&mdash;like a leaf falling and decomposing to provide nutrients to other trees, or a post you share that gets likes and comments.</li>
	<li>Processes: The trees do things like photosynthesis (converting sunlight into food), growth, and respiration (exhaling oxygen)&mdash;like creating a post, replying to comments, and posting new updates.</li>
	<li>Open System: The woodland exchanges matter and energy with its surroundings&mdash;just like how you interact with other users and platforms on the internet.</li>
</ul>

Remember, just like understanding a video game or social media app requires you to understand its various components, in the same way understanding different systems&mdash;whether they&#39;re natural like an ecosystem, or human-made like a transportation system&mdash;requires a similar approach. The systems approach helps us understand these complexities in a simple and unified manner.

Eco & Society Insights

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Standard Level

Environmental Systems & Societies SL

Unit 1 - Foundations Of Environmental Systems & Societies

Eco & Society Insights

Table of contant

What is the systems approach?

Unlock the Full Content!

Unit 1 - Foundations Of Environmental Systems & Societies

Eco & Society Insights

Table of contant

What is the systems approach?

Unlock the Full Content!