In the post World War II period, considerable growth in total production took place in the United States. But at the same time, businesses were dumping their waste into the Great Lakes with minimal cost to themselves, significantly polluting the bodies of water as a result. This occurrence is an example where

A) real GDP gives an overly positive view of economic welfare.

B) real GDP gives an overly negative view of economic welfare.

C) investment would have been a better measure of total production.

D) the pollution counts as a final good.

The answer is A) real GDP gives an overly positive view of economic welfare.

Explanation:

Real GDP measures the economic value of total produced goods of an economy adjusted by price levels. It takes in account consumption, investment government purchases and net exports.

However, they do not take into account externalities or negative consequences of the production of an economy. If US produced in factories that produce a lot of pollution, the GDP would capture the value of the produced goods from the factory. However it will not measure the economic consequences of pollution, damage to environment and the industries that depend in these resources. In the long run GDP could be lower if that pollution decreased the possibilities or inputs used to produce goods but in the short run GDP will give a positive view as if nothing bad was happening.