TJC_H2_ECONS_P1

© TJC 2018 9757/01 TEMASEK JUNIOR COLLEGE Preliminary Examinations 2018 General Certificate of Education Advanced Level Higher 2 ECONOMICS Paper 1 Case Study 9757/01 Friday 24 August 2018 2 hours 15 minutes Additional Materials: Answer Paper, Cover Page READ THESE INSTRUCTIONS FIRST Do not turn over until you are told to do so. Write your name and CG number on all the work you hand in. Write in dark blue or black pen. You may use an HB pencil for any diagrams or graphs. Do not use staples, paper clips, highlighters, glue or correction fluid. Answer all questions. Begin each question on a separate sheet of answer paper. At the end of the examination, fasten your work for each question separately. Attach the cover page to your work for Question 1. The number of marks is given in brackets [ ] at the end of each question or part question. This document consists of 8 printed pages. Temasek Junior College Economics [Turn Over

2 © TJC 2018 9757/01 Answer all questions. Question 1: Tiny Plastic, Big Problem? Figure 1: Global plastic production from 2006 to 2015 (in million metric tons) Source: Statistica and Power Plant CCS Figure 2: Share of global plastic production Source: PlasticsEurope Market Research Group (PEMRG) Extract 1: Global plastic production The growth of the plastics industry goes hand-in-hand with economic development. The more an economy grows, the more plastic is used in construction, infrastructural development, electrical and electronic industries, and transport. Single-use plastic packaging – the nemesis of environmental activists – is also in strong demand in developing countries. Even in Europe, where anti-plastics campaigning has been especially vigorous, packaging accounts for 40 per cent of consumption. But the world's leading producer of plastic is China. Today it holds a whopping 29 per cent of the market share, up from 15 per cent just a decade ago. European, US and Japanese plastic manufacturers have meanwhile seen their market share shrink. Source: Business Times, 9 July 2018 245 245 250 270 279 288 299 311 322 0 100 200 300 400 2006 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 Global plastic production from 2006 to 2015 (in million metric tons) Middle East, Africa 6% NAFTA 24% Europe 22% CIS 2% China 21% Japan 6% Rest of Asia 14% Latin Americ a 5% 2006 Middle East, Africa 7% NAFTA 19% Europe 18% CIS 3% China 28% Japan 4% Rest of Asia 17% Latin Americ a 4% 2015

3 [Turn Over © TJC 2018 9757/01 Extract 2: Global plastic crisis The impacts of global plastic use have reached an alarming level. Based on the latest data, 9 billion metric tons of plastics have been produced since the 1950s, creating 7 billion tons of waste. Plastic waste not only damages the environment and threatens animal life but also