Using your answers to question 1 and the economic knowledge you gained in this lesson, compose a three-paragraph essay that explains in economic terms the author’s argument in the article. Be sure to write a topic statement, use relevant quotes from the article (and cite them), use proper grammar (including transitions, formal tone, and so on), and include a concluding statement. Also, be sure to apply at least three economic terms or concepts from this section in your writing.

ANSWER FROM PLATO---

The article “Glaciers on Ice—for Now” by Thomas Sumner discusses the role of human activity in delaying the next ice age on earth. It suggests that carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions resulting from human activities are extending the current interglacial period by keeping the atmosphere warm.

The human population has grown rapidly in recent centuries. As the population grew, demand for goods and services also grew. The increasing demand for goods led to rapid industrialization around the world, and production of goods began on a large scale. A prime externality of factory production was the emission of CO2 into the air, which led to pollution and health hazards. Another cause for the high level of CO2 is vehicular pollution. When cars entered the market, only a small number of people owned cars. But in the early twentieth century, technological developments made the mass production of cars possible. This technology, a non-price determinant of supply, pushed up the supply of cars by lowering the cost of production and the time required to produce a car. An increase in supply brought down the price of cars so that even lower- and middle-income people could afford a car. As cars became more and more common, the amount of CO2 in the air rose.

In 2015, the CO2 levels in the air increased to 400 parts per million, when the level should have been 245 parts per million. The article states that the extra CO2 was “added to the atmosphere” by human consumption. It states that “the future is murky” because of the climatic externalities of human activities.