6.2.5—Climate change impacts on ecosystems
- Syllabus
- First assessment 2026
- Objective
- 6.2.5
- Level
- HL
Judge Climate Impact by Scale and Resilience
Climate change alters ecosystems from local sites to global circulation, affecting resilience and sometimes shifting biome boundaries.
| Scale | Example mechanism and impact | Resilience question |
|---|---|---|
| Local ecosystem | marine heat stress can cause coral bleaching; drying can promote desertification | can biodiversity and recovery processes restore function before repeated stress? |
| Regional/biome | changed temperature and precipitation can shift productivity and biome distribution | are species able to move or adapt fast enough? |
| Global | ice melt raises sea level; warming can alter ocean circulation | do reinforcing changes reduce recovery options across systems? |
Some cooler regions may gain a longer growing season or higher productivity, while heat- or water-limited systems lose productivity; evaluate location, season and biodiversity rather than a global average alone.
Trace climate driver → ecosystem exposure → biological mechanism → impact → resilience or biome response at a stated scale.
A local benefit does not cancel unequal global harm, and one ecosystem example cannot define every region's response.