Age (12-14)

Detailed Syllabus

1. Ecosystems & Ecological Relationships

• Components of ecosystems: biotic and abiotic factors.
• Ecosystem structure and function.
• Habitats, communities and simple ideas about ecological niches.
• Relationships between organisms: competition, predation, mutualism and parasitism.
• Biodiversity and ecosystem stability.
• How environmental changes affect ecosystems.
• Local and global ecosystem examples.

2. Food Webs, Energy Flow & Nutrient Cycles

• Food chains and complex food webs.
• Producers, consumers and decomposers.
• Energy flow through ecosystems.
• Trophic levels and energy loss.
• Population relationships within food webs.
• Carbon and water cycles.
• Importance of decomposers and nutrient recycling.
• Effects of removing or introducing species.

3. Water, Air & Soil Systems

• Water cycle and freshwater resources.
• Groundwater, rivers, lakes and oceans.
• Water scarcity and responsible water use.
• Air composition and atmospheric importance.
• Major sources of air pollution.
• Soil formation, soil layers and soil fertility.
• Soil erosion and land degradation.
• Methods of protecting water, air and soil resources.

4. Pollution & Environmental Health

• Air, water, soil, noise and plastic pollution.
• Major sources of pollution.
• Pollutants and their effects on living organisms.
• Water contamination and its effects on ecosystems.
• Plastic waste and microplastics.
• Waste management and basic circular-economy concepts.
• Pollution prevention and environmental health.
• Analyze simple pollution data and case studies.

5. Weather, Climate & Climate Change

• Weather vs climate.
• Factors affecting climate.
• Greenhouse effect and greenhouse gases.
• Causes of human-driven climate change.
• Evidence of climate change.
• Rising temperatures, sea-level rise and changing rainfall.
• Extreme weather events.
• Effects on ecosystems, agriculture and communities.
• Climate change mitigation and adaptation.

6. Natural Resources & Sustainable Development

• Renewable and non-renewable resources.
• Fossil fuels and their environmental impacts.
• Forest, water, soil and mineral resources.
• Resource depletion and overconsumption.
• Sustainable resource management.
• Sustainable development and responsible consumption.
• Introduction to selected Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
• Balancing environmental needs with community needs.

7. Biodiversity, Adaptation & Conservation

• Genetic, species and ecosystem diversity in simple terms.
• Adaptation and survival.
• Natural selection in simple environmental contexts.
• Endangered, threatened and extinct species.
• Habitat destruction and fragmentation.
• Invasive species.
• Wildlife conservation and protected areas.
• Conservation strategies and habitat restoration.

8. Human Activities & Environmental Impact

• Population growth and resource demand.
• Urbanization and environmental challenges.
• Deforestation and land-use change.
• Agriculture and environmental impacts.
• Overfishing and overconsumption.
• Human activities and ecosystem change.
• Environmental responsibility of individuals and communities.

9. Renewable Energy & Sustainable Solutions

• Solar, wind, hydroelectric and geothermal energy.
• Advantages and limitations of renewable energy.
• Energy efficiency and conservation.
• Sustainable transportation.
• Green buildings and sustainable cities.
• Waste reduction and circular-economy concepts.
• Compare environmental solutions using evidence.
• Design simple solutions for real-world environmental problems.

10. Environmental Investigation & Data Analysis

• Identify environmental questions and problems.
• Form simple hypotheses and predictions.
• Plan basic environmental investigations.
• Variables, observations and fair comparisons.
• Interpret tables, graphs, maps and environmental data.
• Identify patterns, trends and unusual results.
• Use evidence to explain environmental changes.
• Evaluate possible solutions and their environmental impacts.

11. Environmental Case Studies & Challenge Problems

• Analyze age-appropriate real-world environmental situations.
• Study local environmental issues such as pollution, waste, water or deforestation.
• Identify causes, effects and possible solutions.
• Compare short-term and long-term consequences.
• Interpret diagrams, maps and data-based questions.
• Solve multi-step environmental problems.
• Develop a simple Sustainable City, Clean Water, Climate Action or Biodiversity Protection Plan.

Important Note for Participants

The topics and subtopics provided are the main areas of the syllabus. They are not limited to only the examples mentioned.