👋 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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Happy 2026!
Let’s face it: Rare Earths have a PR problem.
They are too anonymous, too unknown given their incredible importance to the functioning of modern society. They are also tangled in one of the biggest geopolitical bouts of the 21st century: the great US-China trade war.
I’m no expert on rare earths, but I think that they ought to get more than the 15 minutes of glory they received back in October 2025.
So I did what any sane person would do in my position: I vibe-coded them into existence as fun collectibles.
Who are the Rare Earthicons
They are a bunch of 17 cheeky elements that often get into trouble, while still keeping our economy going.
Each Earthicon has their unique personality, their unique story and unique usecases. Like the elements themselves, they can be found nearly everywhere: in the cars we drive, the planes we fly, the iPhones we use to scroll while we’re bored.
I have created 17 of them, one for each Earthicons.
I’ve created the Earthicons to show how much free time I have on weekends as a way to make rare earths more accessible, fun and relatable, to help illustrate just how important they are.
Is this a joke? A bit, but just enough to make you want to (hopefully) learn more.
Rare Earths are serious business, and there is a lot of money and geopolitical capital involved. But that doesn’t mean we can’t have a bit of fun with them, right?
What can you do at the Rare Earthicons Project?
Great question. Quite a few things:
Learn the Basics
The Rare Earthicons is a place you can learn the basics of rare earths - where they come from, what they are and where they come from:
You can also explore the entire value-chain:
There’s also an interactive map and a compendium that will show you just how dependent we are on China for the basic things we use:
Take the Quiz
People love personality quizzes. People are addicted to them, dying to know:
Which famous actor they are
Which Cheese they are
Which character from Sex and the City they are
Well, now you can know which Rare Earth you are!
Unwrap Your Year!
Songs? Pfffft.
Now you can tell which element made your year: Was it Cerium? Maybe Lanthanum? Or did you use Neodymium the most? Find out today!
Get Your Own Element
Since I’m on a roll, I decided to provide custom-made rare earthicons to new subscribers of A World Reconfigured!
If you’re interested in one, reach out to me and I’ll make you one!
Here are few I made for some unfortunate souls friends:
So,
hope you liked the Rare Earthicons project, and if you have other crazy ideas I can sink my teeth in, let me know!
Thanks for reading! If you enjoyed this edition, don’t forget to subscribe or share your thoughts. 🔽
See you next week!