ESS IA Topics: 30+ Ideas to Get You Started Right Now

We wrote you a complete guide to IB ESS IA to teach you how to write an Internal Assessment on environmental studies and societies. However, the guide doesn’t include topics that you can start exploring if you’ve chosen to work on ESS.

So in this post, we’ve put together a list of 10+ topics to give you an idea of what a good subject in ESS should look like.

By the time you complete scanning the ideas provided in this list, you’ll have an easy time coming up with a suitable topic for your IA assignment.

What is ESS in IB Internal Assessment?

Environmental Systems and Societies in the IB Diploma Program is a transdisciplinary course.

Students study:

• Ecosystems and biomes such as tropical rainforests and deserts
• Biodiversity and endangered species
• Human population, including its size, where it resides, and its demographic features

ESS examines major human affects both locally and globally, the primary causes of global warming, and it allows students to develop remedies for each of these problems.

From laboratory work and lab exercises to field excursions to ESS IB investigations, surveys, and investigations, the ESS IB provides a diverse array of inquiry opportunities.

IB Environmental Systems and Societies is a highly current and applicable course to study. It will present a wealth of knowledge on environmental issues, subjects, and potential solutions related to the environment and societies.

Get ESS IA Topic Selection and Writing Help

Do you find it difficult to select a topic in ESS and need help to do that? Or maybe you already have a topic buy you’re not confident that you can write a comprehensive report in 2,200 words?

We’re here to help.

 Our IB writers have years of experience in Internal Assessment writing, and they can handle even the most complicate topics in Environmental Studies and Societies. 

30+ IB ESS IA Topics

The following are 30+ IB Environmental Studies and Societies topics to inspire you to get started with your research and writing: 

1. Examine the long-term effects of oil, heavy metals, pesticides, and fertilizers on the development of various aquatic plant names in a variety of environmental situations.
2. Find out how much trash is deposited on different beaches in the Singapore area and what kind it is.
3. Analyze the similarities and differences across populations at various stages of development.
4. Examine contamination in the water, the land, or the air by monitoring for the presence or absence of indicator species
5. Think of a way to test how acid rain affects plants or how it degrades concrete
6. Examine the link between two factors, such temperature and dissolved oxygen concentration
7. Create a study to discover how UV rays affect various things from plants to rubber and plastics
8. Find out why people's perspectives on global issues vary so much from one another and what causes these differences
9. Take your pick of an environment and look at the process of succession there. You can use your sampling abilities to infer whether or not the observed changes can be attributable to succession by comparing your results with published information on the species that are typical for the region.
10. Create a research plan for a certain soil-related topic, such as soil compaction, soil conditioners, wind-dampening methods, or cultivation strategies.
11. Examine how two or more environments differ in their levels of biodiversity.
12. Create a study that will examine a factor that is preventing a certain organism from flourishing
13. Find out what influences how well the Lincoln index predicts things.
14. Create a plan and conduct an inquiry on what causes sediment load in runoff.
15. Take one variable that affects Elodea photosynthetic rates and examine its impact.
16. Examine whether or if a certain environment, like mangroves, displays zonation patterns.
17. Discover how the productivity of an ecosystem varies throughout its many habitats.
18. How the effects of wildfires contribute to climate change
19. The impact of pesticide usage on the variety of species
20. Influence exerted by the United States Desert bighorn sheep impeded in their movement by the border wall.
21. The effects of acid rain on the development and germination of plants
22. The slowing down of plants' rates of growth due to salinization
23. The pace at which biodegradable polymers break down in the environment
24. The proportion of a person's ecological footprint that is attributable to their level of income
25. The impact of carbon emissions and acid rain on the level of economic growth
26. The influence of agricultural fertilizer on the abundance and variety of stream macro-invertebrates in the Danube River
27. How much of an impact does proximity to a forest have on the biodiversity of the surrounding soil?
28. How much of an impact does doing dishes in the sink have on the amount of water used?
29. What difference exists between the ages of people living in Huston who recycle, and what factors contribute to this discrepancy?
30. How significant is the impact of agriculture on the many ecosystems of the Danube River in Germany?
31. Cans spray substances into the air have an impact on the ozone layer?
32. What kind of relationship exists between the amount of CO2 emitted and the life expectancy rate in France?
33. How much do different age groups in Mexico City's population influence people's perspectives on environmental issues?
34. What kind of influence does the use of well water have on the development of Ocimum basilicum?
35. Is there a significant connection between the amount of CO2 released into the atmosphere and the death rate brought on by respiratory diseases in Buenos Aires?
36. How much of an impact does the proximity of a highway have on the development of lichen?
37. How much of an impact does the quality of the water in Green Lake have on the fluoride levels in the ground water within a range of two kilometers?