A Copper Mining Operation Discharges Waste Products into a River

question 179

Multiple Choice

A copper mining operation discharges waste products into a river and causes higher costs and discomfort to downstream users of the water for which they are not compensated.In this case:

• A)too little of society's resources is being used to produce copper.
• B)too much of society's resources is being used to produce copper.
• C)the optimal amount of society's resources is being used to produce copper.
• D)there is an external benefit to society from copper production.

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Definitions:

Greenhouse Effect

The trapping of the sun's warmth in the planet's lower atmosphere due to the greater transparency of the atmosphere to visible radiation from the sun than to infrared radiation emitted from the planet's surface.

Earth

The third planet from the Sun, home to a diverse array of life and ecosystems.

Decomposers

Organisms that break down dead or decaying organisms, contributing to nutrient cycling in ecosystems.

Terrestrial Ecosystem

A community of living organisms and their physical environment, found on land areas rather than in aquatic settings.