NYJC_H2_ECONS_CSQ1_QP_with_answers

1 2018 JC2 H2 ECONOMICS PRELIM CSQ 1 Figure 1: Plastic Waste and Recycling Rates in Singapore Source: National Environmental Agency (n.d.). Waste Statistics and Overall Recycling Figure 2: Change in environmental impacts of Pre- and Post-Ban Bag-use in San Diego Footnote: GHG – Greenhouse gas; MJ – Megajoule; Fresh Water consumption due to paper bag production and washing of reusable bags Source: Center for Sustainable Energy, Plastic Bag Bans: Analysis of Economic and Environmental impacts, 23 October, 2013 Plastic Waste Produced (tonne) Plastic Recycled (%) Millions of Tonx CO2 Equiv. Millions of Kg Millions of MJ Millions of Gallons 0.014 0.012 0.010 0.008 0.006 0.004 0.002 0 2.4 2.3 2.2 2.1 2.0 1.9 1.8 250 200 150 100 50 0 60 40 20 0 Pre-Ban Pre-Ban Pre-Ban Pre-Ban Post-Ban Post-Ban Post-BanPost-Ban GHG emissions Per Year Solid Waste Per Year Total Energy Per Year Fresh Water Consumption Per Year

2 Extract 1: A War the World Must Win Kathmandu alone uses around 4,700,000 to 4,800,000 plastic bags daily. In Nepal, 16 per cent of urban waste is comprised of plastic, which is 2.7 tons of daily plastic garbage production. Besides the sheer quantity of plastic wast e being produced, one of the major problems with plastic is its resistance to degr adation. A conservative estimate puts the average time for one single plastic bag to completely biodegrade at 500 years. This means that not only most of the plastic we use during our lives will outlive us, but that our plastic footprin t also will affect the generations to come. The Hindu Kush Himalaya covering the connected mountains of eight countries — Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, India, Myanmar, Nepal and Pakistan — are the source of ten great rivers that provide drinking water, irrigati on, hydropower and life, and eventually reach the oceans. The flow of water from the Himalayas to the oceans also carries plastics and solid waste, posing a threat to both ecosystems and people in the mountains, plains and seas. In Nepal, plastic waste is well known for clogging the ri vers and streams in the mountains and hills, resulting in flash floods. Source: A War the World Must Win, The Statesman, 3 July 2018 Extract 2: England's plastic bag usage drops 85% since 5p charge introduced The number of single-use plastic bags used by shoppers in England has plummeted by more than 85% after the introduction of a 5p charge last October, early figures suggest. More than 7bn bags were handed out by seven main supermarkets in the year before the charge, but this figure plummeted to slightly more than 500m in the first six months after the charge was introduced, the Department for Environmen t, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) said. This shows that plastic bag consumption can be price-sensitive to UK consumers. Retailers with 250 or more full-time equivalent employees have to charge a minimum of 5p for the bags they provide for shopping in store