Consider the intended audience for your paper and presentation as other well-trained students of undergraduate economics, though not one who has necessarily taken Economics 327. This is a research paper. Your paper should briefly describe an environmental issue, provide an analysis of the economics issues involved using the concepts developed in class, and suggest a policy response as needed. The purpose of your paper is policy analysis.
Facts are important only to the extent they serve the analysis.
Topics differ greatly in the extent to which factual data, more or less processed, are essential to the policy analysis. Value judgments are not only acceptable, but also often essential in building your case. It should be clear, however, that you understand the distinctions among analysis, facts, and values. Papers will be graded primarily on the quality and cogency of the analysis and on the accuracy and appropriateness of the underlying research, but not at all on conformity to the values of the instructor or anyone else. Use expert testimony to establish the facts, not to try to buttress arguments that will not stand by themselves.