The Roundup: All The Important Stories You Missed (Nov 1, 2025)
This week: Rare earths get a reprieve, data centers in the headlines again, Putin declares 2027 as the Year of Geography and more + new section (Talk of the Town) + Shoutout to Natural Connection
Happy Saturday!
Welcome to another edition of the Time Machine, the roundup of weekly stories too important to miss.
This edition will have less story-by-story recap, and more of a theme-driven roundup. Hope you like it! (you can always reach out to complain 🤷♂️)
TL;DR
The Bigger Things:
Trump-Xi deal brings some relief to rare earths (everyone is happy but western REE companies)
Data centers are still at everyone’s crosshairs (some love them, some not so much)
Bill Gates doesn’t think climate is cool anymore (guess I shouldn’t apply to be his Climate lead?)
The Smaller Things:
Putin declares 2027 as year of geography (whatever that may be, it has something to do with the Arctic)
Droughts put financial stress on cities (I mean, how did we not price that risk in?)
[New Segment] The Talk of the Town:
Response to Bill Gates, rare earths, how oil and gas built wind power and more stuff I read online this week
Creator Spotlight:
Natural Connection (Kate Howlett wants to make sure you have it with nature)
The Bigger Things
The biggest stories you probably missed:
Trump-Xi Deal Brings Relief to Rare Earths
What Happened? China paused some of the export controls on rare earth elements (REEs) that everyone was raving about a few weeks ago (myself included), as part of the Trump-Xi deal, for a period of 1 year. Everyone seemed happy, except for US REE companies, who are worried about losing their latest market gains.
Why Care? 🤷♂️ Because this is what the US-China relationship looks like today - on again off again 🤦
Joking aside, this agreement did not solve anything structural or change the balance of powers, just bought us more time (which is also good I guess).
My Take:✍️ If I was the CEO of a US REE company, I wouldn’t panic just yet. First, not all restrictions were lifted. Second, it’s unlikely Western countries will trust China enough not to invest in capacity. I think it’s likely we will see investments in REEs continue.
Data Centers are At Everyone’s Crosshairs
What Happened? Data Centers still dominate the news, especially around energy prices: (1) DOE Secretary asked FERC to speed up rules for data centers, and (2) a group of US Senators push for speedup in data center approvals, if they can bring their own energy. But, (3) Maryland Senator Katie Fry Hester fights to prevent data center costs from hitting consumers.
Why Care? 🤷♂️ Because this battle over data center approvals can have real impact on the US’s ability to win the AI race, and will likely help determine just how many will be built and where. This has implications for many states, and for the US writ large.
My Take:✍️ I think the jury is still out, and the battle will be won by bottom-up pressure. NIMBY is not going away anytime soon, but protecting consumers from energy prices will probably help deploy more data centers.
Bill Gates doesn’t think the climate is cool anymore
What Happened? In a letter penned out by everybody’s favorite billionaire (and mine too, to be honest), Bill Gates argues that maybe climate change is not so bad. Instead, he thinks, we should focus on the here-and-now and people’s welfare.
Why Care? 🤷♂️ I really liked Bill Gates and have appreciation to his work over the years. In my view, the biggest problem with the letter is the tone, not the actual words. The landscape is already complex and climate activism already took quite a backseat in the past year. Gates’s letter sounds like the last nail in the coffin.
My Take: ✍️ Personally, I don’t think his letter is a swan song to his climate work, but I cannot deny it’s a disappointment.
The Smaller Things
The stories you should have on your radar:
Putin declares 2027 as Year of Geography
What Happened: Russian President Vladimir Putin has declared that 2027 will be the “Year of Geography”. What this means is that Russia will be issuing new maps that include Ukrainian territories and… you guessed it - the Arctic.
Why Care? 🤷♂️ Because if you thought Putin will leave the Arctic alone and we’ll all be able to go home quietly - think again. Looks like the Russian President is set on cranking up the heat in the Arctic. I covered the topic at length here:
My Take: ✍️ The Arctic is likely going to be the top of mind in 2027 once Putin decides to crank up the heat even more. You’re read it here first!
No Water, No Money
What Happened: While Bill Gates tells us that worrying about climate change is meh, a new piece by Grist documents just how ongoing droughts bring financial risk (and even ruin) to American cities. Droughts are considered more financially damaging than floods and fires, as they last longer and in larger areas. The problem: Droughts are not priced into most municipal bonds, exposing investors (and cities) to risk.
Why Care? 🤷♂️ Because thanks to climate change, droughts become harsher and more frequent, they put municipalities on edge make them unable to service their debt. This can lead to bankruptcies and financial disaster.
My Take: ✍️ Yeah, this is bad. If we’re not trying to prevent droughts (can we?), we should at least price them into the bonds so municipalities do not experience ruin.
Talk of the Town:
I read way too much Linkedin, Twitter and Substack for my own good. Here’s a new segment to share some of the good stuff:
🖇️ Sebastian Manhart shared an excellent take on Gates’s letter
🖇️ Commonweal Ventures wrote an excellent piece on Rare Earths and areas for innovation (I will too soon enough!)
🖇️Aldona Kapacinskaite published a new paper, showing how wind power was built by oil and gas firms in the wake of the 2014 oil crash.
✍️
wrote about the $60M bet on an ambitious solar geoengineering project and its implications to security (and there’s plenty!)🐣 Jesse Jenkins co-founded a company and wants you to join!
🎙️Shayle Kann talks about DOE’s request to transform interconnections for data centers
Creator Shoutout
Every week I’m going to highlight a writer/creator I am inspired by.
This week’s shoutout goes to:
Natural Connection
has a knack for making nature feel completely natural. Her work speaks from the heart, to our hearts. With a PhD on the relationship kids have with nature, she brings expertise, experience and excellent storytelling to help fix our relationship with mother earth. Growing up in a concrete jungle, I am amazed by how much Kate’s work is helpful in making even people like myself get it.
There are many publications out there help us know more, but Kate’s work helps us feel more. Her work features well thought-out arguments, powerful stories and beautiful scenery images. Reading Natural Connection often feels like going on an adventure.
I myself often find myself reading her Substack for inspiration when I find it lacking.
Check it out here!
Thanks for reading! If you enjoyed this edition, don’t forget to subscribe or share your thoughts. 🔽
See you next week!