In a Conversation with Her Friends, Dana Was Asked to Give

question 14

Multiple Choice

In a conversation with her friends, Dana was asked to give an example of an environmental tipping point. Which of the following would she offer?

• A) Researchers reporting that they had discovered a connection between wind power turbines and hearing loss in humans.
• B) Researchers reporting that permafrost in a region of Siberia has started to melt for the first time since it formed 11 000 years ago at the end of the last ice age.
• C) Researchers reporting that global warming is responsible for the increase of methane in the atmosphere.
• D) Researchers reporting an increasing number of community gardens in urban areas.

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Definitions:

Rivalry

The competitive relationship between firms in the market, striving to gain advantage over each other in terms of sales, market share, or innovation.

Nonexcludable

A characteristic of a good or service whereby it is not possible to prevent people who have not paid for it from having access to it.

Free-rider Problem

A situation in which individuals benefit from resources, goods, or services without paying for them, leading to underprovision of those goods or services.

Public Goods

Goods that are non-excludable and non-rivalrous, meaning that anyone can consume them without diminishing their availability to others, such as public parks and clean air.