Genesis Mission Launch, New Arctic Strategy and the Future of EV Stations (the Roundup)
All the important stories you've missed (Nov 29, 2025)
👋 Welcome to A World Reconfigured - your guide to a world changed by climate, geopolitics and technology. I write about how climate change is creating a new world with new rules, and often cover topics like the ❄️Arctic, 🤷♂️Rare Earths and 💻Data Centers.
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Hey everyone!
Thanksgiving is upon us. While I personally don’t celebrate, I wish all of my friends and colleagues in the US a happy holiday.
You probably have received countless lectures on what you should be grateful for, so I am not going to add one.
Instead, I’m just going to say that I’m thankful for (1) 2025 not being all that much worse; (2) discovering Substack and the wonderful community; (3) the many writers on this platform who work hard to bring the most interesting takes and thoughts out there.
Ok, now, let’s get back to it👇
TL;DR
The Bigger Things
US launched the Genesis Mission (aka AI Manhattan Project)
UK issues a critical minerals strategy (but isn’t spending enough money on it)
Finland has a new Arctic strategy (which is to high-five Canada)
China goes big on the global stage (fusion energy and rare earths)
The Smaller Things
NYC Comptroller suggests pensions drop BlackRock (so much for Fink’s 2020 letter)
Gas station operators prepare for the EV future (can I play the Arcade while I’m charging?)
The Talk of the Town
Africa’s critical mineral future, gratitude for food, the political mistakes of the climate movement and more
Creator Spotlight
Amanda’s Substack (critical minerals for the win!)
The Bigger Things
The biggest stories you probably missed:
US Launched the Genesis Mission, an AI Manhattan Project
What Happened? The US has announced the launch of the Genesis Mission, which surprisingly does not involve going anywhere. Rather, it is a push to unite federal agencies, labs and supercomputers on one platform. It will use vast federal datasets to train large models that turbocharge science, energy and security research with AI, led by the Department of Energy.
Why Care? 🤷♂️ Because, as explained by Sebastian Barros, this is a US attempt to respond to China’s encompassing state ecosystem to use AI for its own progress and is an equivalent of an AI Manhattan Project.
My Take: ✍️ Super cool. There are risks, but overall this is an important development. It’s about time the US used AI at full tilt for science again – this feels like the America I grew up with, one that advances science, technology and energy.
UK Wants Critical Mineral Independence
What Happened? The UK has released this week a shiny new strategy to increase its critical mineral independence. Under the new plan, the UK will invest 50M GBP in projects that will boost UK mineral production, and will aim to produce 10% of the UK’s mineral needs (and up to 20% with recycling) by 2035.
Why Care? 🤷♂️ Because it’s about time the UK did something. While others rushed to counter China’s dominance, the UK was asleep; now it finally seems to be taking the challenge seriously, which is good news for Europe’s bid to decouple from China.
My Take:✍️ Really? 50M GBP?
That will barely cover… anything. The UK needs bigger, bolder, more innovative moves if it truly wants mineral independence.
Finland Has a New Arctic Strategy
What Happened? Finland has released a new Arctic Strategy amid growing regional tensions, positioning itself as an Arctic stabilizer. The document spells out its view of great‑power competition in the region, names friends and foes, and shows a clear soft spot for Canada.
Why Care? 🤷♂️Because Finland is obviously nervous about the growing instability of what was once a pinnacle of global collaboration and cooperation. Reading through the document, it almost seems Finland realizes we’re not in Kansas anymore and is looking to position itself as an Arctic protector and to find partners to share the load.
My Take:✍️ Finland is right to be nervous and to seek new partners. Mark Carney’s Canada is stepping up in the Arctic and looks like a strong non‑Nordic partner at a time when Russian and Chinese activity means Finland will need all the help it can get to keep the region stable.
China is Swinging for the Fences on the World Stage
What Happened? This week, China rolled out two big initiatives to reshape its global role. One is the Fusion Coalition with 10 countries (including France, the UK and Germany), and the other is a Rare Earths Bloc against the US with 19 developing countries such as Zimbabwe and Myanmar.
Why Care? 🤷♂️ Because China isn’t resting on its laurels and is actively working to bolster its geopolitical stance through diplomacy and scientific collaborations, at times with the US’s own set of allies.
My Take: ✍️ Decoupling from China is messy and complex. I expect to see more of this fragmentation and additional attempts by China to court partners with ambitious scientific and trade collaborations.
The Smaller Things
The stories you should have on your radar:
NYC Comptroller Puts a Bullseye on BlackRock
What Happened: Departing NYC Comptroller Brand Lander decided to comptroll recommend that pension boards should drop BlackRock, Fidelity and PanAgora for having inadequate climate policies.
Why Care? 🤷♂️ Because this is a highly influential decision, which could cost the fund manager a lot of money, and signals a renewed push towards climate policies in the Trump era. This could be a first sign of a sea change in corporate governance, but could also be just one isolated case. We’ll see.
My Take: ✍️ Larry Fink isn’t so hot in the climate circles these days, is he?1 🤓
Gas Stations Prepare for the EV Consumer
What Happened: Nobody wants to linger at gas stations; it’s usually get in, get gas, get out. But as EVs spread, chains like WaWa and Sheetz are retooling their sites with cleaner bathrooms, WiFi and upgraded stores to keep drivers happy while they charge.
Why Care? 🤷♂️ With EVs projected to reach 78M by 2035, gas stations need to update the customer experience for longer charging stops. Because charging is far less profitable than gasoline, chains like WaWa and Sheetz are betting future margins will come from food, drinks and other in‑store sales.
My Take: ✍️ I don’t have an EV (yet!), but if I did, I would surely want to pass the time while I’m charging my vehicle. Personally, I wouldn’t mind an epic Arcade while charging.
Talk of the Town:
I read way too much Linkedin, Twitter and Substack for my own good. Here are a few of my favorites this week:
✍️ Matthew Jensen shares a special food episode of his great weekly take just for thanksgiving!
✍️ Alan Leung launches his consulting career - congrats Alan and good luck!
✍️ Amanda van Dyke shares her take on Africa’s ability to attract investors (thanks, Mali!)
✍️ Sebastian Barros shares a great recap and analysis of the Genesis Mission (and calls it the AI Manhattan Project, which I like very much)
✍️ Noah Smith shares his annual Thanksgiving reflections on a variety of macro topics. Very much recommended!
🎥 Robinson Meyer appeared at The Argument about the miscalculations of the climate movement
Creator Shoutout
Every week I’m going to highlight a writer/creator I am inspired by.
This week’s shoutout goes to:
Amanda’s Substack (Critical Minerals)
Amanda van Dyke is a real expert on critical minerals and rare earths. Her writing offers well‑written, accessible takes on the complex world of minerals.
Amanda’s writing features rare takes on rare earths, covering the dynamics of each mineral in detail. She helps her readers to understand that rare earths are not all the same and provides illuminating facts and analysis about them.
Her coverage spans across rare earth elements (e.g., Scandium), the dynamics of key critical minerals (e.g., the structural deficits of Copper) and geopolitical movements (e.g., tarriffs) and is always incredibly accessible and easy to read.
Personally, Amanda’s substack has become my go-to source to better understand the critical minerals industry.
Check it out here!
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See you next week!
Larry Fink is well known to be one of the first major fund managers to support the integration of climate risk considerations into the BlackRock portfolio, announced in a widely publicized annual letter. This is why BlackRock’s about-face is so surprising.
Appreciate the shoutout, Arod! Excited to look more into the Genesis mission
Great post, thanks for the shout out, a couple points. The UK critical minerals strategy was was followed by an equally depressing CM strategy update from the EU, heavy on new rules low on tangible support for the industry which is dying a death by a thousand cuts, nimby ism , high energy costs, over regulations and now CBAM, also amazing that Finland is taking the lead on the arctic, and cool they are engaging with Canada, but they need to talk to Denmark and the USA who surprisingly in Arctic math are bigger than Canada I think….the USA interest in Greenland is way more about Arctic hegemony than rare earths, and potentially the CM’s on the Arctic Ocean floor! 😜