Christmas is coming up fast, so it is time to start our holiday shopping! If you are like me, gifting can feel a bit strange. It’s fun to spoil our family and friends, but you feel guilty about the environmental costs, the waste, and the plastic. Luckily, there are more and more businesses selling products that are ethically sourced and environmentally friendly!

But where to start?

With so many options, it can be frustrating to find the right gift. To help you out, I’ve compiled a list of great sites that offer wonderful eco-friendly gifts for reasonable prices. …

The 2020 election had two clear losers: Donald Trump and polling.

Analysts had predicted a possible Biden landslide, but immediately after voting ended it became clear that the election was tight. Pundits and journalists scrambled to explain what was taking place, while some Democrats panicked at the possibility of a 2016 repeat. It felt awful. Over the coming days, Biden was able to pull ahead in Georgia, Pennsylvania, and Michigan thanks to absentee ballots. Democrats are happy to win, but there is an obvious question: what happened? Why were the polls so off?

Polling got slammed after the 2016 election. Clinton had been rated as the overwhelming favorite but lost. In the aftermath of 2016, pollsters and analysts rationalized their mistake, explaining that polling had missed enthusiasm for Trump among non-college-educated white voters. Pollsters said they fixed the mistake. …

Vote counting may not be finished, but we know one thing for sure: I was right all along. It is still too soon to make broad statements or predictions, but it is clearly time for everyone to accept what I was saying before the election. That is the real take-away.

In fact, if we go back to the primary, it was obvious that my views were correct. I said that the electorate largely agreed with me, and that is clearly born out in the results from Tuesday. There was some contradictory evidence I admit, but it was obvious that you should ignore it. Look at the exit polling! The county-by-county vote totals! The cross-tabs! You will see what I mean. …

This article is part of the WordStack newsletter.

2020 has been terrible, but one of the few silver-linings has been a steady output of high-quality science journalism. Whether it is mask-wearing, vaccine development, public health policy, outbreaks in meatpacking plants, or therapeutics, science journalists have been reporting every angle of Covid-19. Covering such a sprawling and quickly evolving topic is incredibly challenging, but an impressive contingent of writers have risen to the task.

Of the science journalism we have seen during the pandemic, perhaps the most important has been the explainers. “Explanatory journalism” may sound like a truism, but this term refers to stories meant to explain a phenomenon within a broader context. Rather than writing about “the news” it provides background about what is happening in the news. …

With the U.S. election just one week away, climate activists across the world are thinking about the presidential election. Donald Trump has been a historically awful president for a multitude of reasons, but his most lasting legacy will be his inaction on climate change. While there are reasons to be lukewarm about Biden, there is no question his planned legislation for the environment is far far better than Trump’s.

But the presidential race is only part of the story.

For ambitious climate legislation to be enacted, we need officials at all levels of government who are fighting for the environment. City councillors and county commissioners are often just as impact as the more glamorous races. Not only that, these races are much easier to influence! …

On the evening of October 20, Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez streamed the game Among Us for about 3 hours on her Twitch channel to an audience of just under half a million people. She was joined by a variety of high-profile Twitch streamers and YouTubers, including Myth, Pokimane, Hasanabi, HBomberguy, and Corpse, as well as Congresswoman Ilhan Omar and her daughter Isra.

It was a delight. I watched the entire stream. There were some hilarious moments, surprising twists, and just the right amount of politics.

AOC’s stream simply a masterclass in reaching out to young voters. Though this was her first attempt diving into Twitch electioneering, there is a lot that can be learned from AOC’s stream. …

Being an ecologically conscious consumer is tough. It feels like there is an endless list of brands we need to avoid, or questions we need to ask. Luckily, there are more environmentally friendly products than ever before. The market for sustainable goods is expected to be about $150 billion by the end of 2021, up from $107 billion in 2014. While there is still a long way to go, it is extremely exciting to see so many businesses working to develop sustainable and low-emissions products.

Unfortunately, not all eco-friendly products are the same. Many companies will advertise products in a manner that is either misleading or dishonest. This practice is known as “greenwashing”. Consumers often can’t tell the difference between a product that is legitimately environmentally friendly or a marketing gimmick. …

When the topic of climate change comes up, you often hear conservatives use a bizarre defence: “I’m not an expert” or “I’m not a scientist.” This rhetorical move may seem innocent, but it is revealing of a specific form of climate denialism.

Yesterday, this came up in the confirmation hearing of Amy Coney Barrett, who is a nominee for the Supreme Court of the United States.

Sen. Kennedy: Do you have some opinions on climate change that you’ve thought about?

Barrett: I’m certainly not a scientist.

Sen. Kennedy: I’m not saying you are.

Barrett: I have read things about climate change. I would not say I have firm views on it. …