Unit Outline
The Earth is an amazing place. Its many natural environments and biomes have sustained the evolution of human life for millions of years. The water, plants, and animals of the earth's natural systems provided us with the resources and energy sources we needed for survival. For thousands of years, early humans achieved this survival by eating food foraged in their environments. They knew the importance of living sustainably in equilibrium with natural systems.
Yet the invention of farming about 12,000 years ago dramatically transformed the way humans lived with nature. This human intervention in natural systems made possible dramatic population growth, resulting in the development of cities and civilisations, and eventually the modern world. But this had come at a price. Human exploitation of natural systems has today increased to such an extent that the sustainability of natural systems, and the entire world, is now in question.
Yet the invention of farming about 12,000 years ago dramatically transformed the way humans lived with nature. This human intervention in natural systems made possible dramatic population growth, resulting in the development of cities and civilisations, and eventually the modern world. But this had come at a price. Human exploitation of natural systems has today increased to such an extent that the sustainability of natural systems, and the entire world, is now in question.
STATEMENT OF INQUIRY
"Humans adapt to and manage natural systems in order to survive and progress"
GLOBAL CONTEXT
Scientific and Technical Innovation - Students will explore the natural world and its laws; the interaction between people and the natural world; how humans use their understanding of scientific principles; the impact of scientific and technological advances on communities and environments; the impact of environments on human activity; how humans adapt environments to their needs.
KEY CONCEPT
Systems - Systems are sets of interacting or interdependent components. Systems provide structure and order in human, natural and built environments. Systems can be static or dynamic, simple or complex. For individuals and societies, systems thinking provides a powerful tool for understanding both natural and human environments, and the role of individuals within them. Social and natural systems rely on a state of equilibrium and are vulnerable to change from internal and external forces.
RELATED CONCEPTS
Management and Intervention - Management can be defined as the human intervention in both natural and human contexts to achieve desired ends. MYP geography courses should consider the ways in which humans respond to the challenges of managing quantity and quality of resources, as well as the consequences of management. Often we see these as ways of solving problems through finding ways to preserve unique components of our lithosphere (land/waste management), hydrosphere (coastal/ water management), biosphere (conservation and animal/plant/agricultural management) and atmosphere (clean air management). Management can be embedded into political geography as a related concept by looking at governance through laws or education to enable better choices. Decision-making and management are dependent on the differences in the balance of power held by different stakeholders (see related concept of power).
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