In a small town, a copper factory is emitting pollutants that affect local air quality, leading to health issues among residents. If the town's government decides to impose a tax on the factory to reduce production to a socially efficient level, which of the following outcomes best represents the concept of deadweight loss in this scenario?

Deadweight loss occurs when the production of a good is not at the socially optimal level, leading to inefficiencies in the market. In this case, the copper factory is producing more than what is socially beneficial because the pollution it creates harms the health of residents. When the government imposes a tax on the factory, it aims to decrease production to a level that balances the factory's output with the health costs to the community. This tax can lead to fewer units of copper being produced, which may reduce the factory's profits but ultimately improves air quality and public health. The deadweight loss in this scenario represents the lost economic benefits that occur when production is reduced below the quantity that would have been produced without the pollution, illustrating the trade-off between economic activity and social welfare.