Final answer:
Tangible equipment costs are not included in the total cost of natural resources, as they are capital expenditures. In GDP, the cost of hospital stays, child care by licensed centers, and new car sales are included. Non-market activities, resale of used items, and non-market outcomes like life expectancy are not included in GDP.
Therefore, option D is correct.
Step-by-step explanation:
The question asks which item is not included in the total cost of natural resources. Among the options provided, tangible equipment costs are typically not included in the total cost of natural resources. Instead, these costs are generally accounted for as capital expenditures and are not directly associated with the natural resource itself.
Regarding the components that are included in the Gross Domestic Product (GDP):
- The cost of hospital stays is included as it is a part of health services.
- The rise in life expectancy over time is not included as it is a non-market outcome.
- Child care provided by a licensed day care center is included as it is a paid service.
- Child care provided by a grandmother is not included as it does not involve a market transaction.
- A used car sale is not included as it does not represent the production of new goods.
- A new car sale is included as it represents a market transaction for a new good.
- The greater variety of cheese available in supermarkets is not directly included; only the market value of goods sold is.
- The iron that goes into the steel that goes into a refrigerator bought by a consumer is included as it is part of the production process for a consumer good.
It's important to distinguish between market transactions that reflect current production, which are included in GDP, and those that do not.