The Power Brief

Walking back against the climate orthodoxy of "counting carbon above all" that demands climate austerity in the Global South, Gates argues that quality of life metrics and removal of the green premium on cost of capital are the most important targets in climate adaptation. Arguably opportunistic, given his actual investments on the ground, but still an important influencer in bringing science back into policy solutions for climate. Governments themselves have already been pivoting hard in this direction throughout 2025, framing large renewable infrastructure in terms of resiliency rather than climate

Instead of massive datacenters, the future of high intensity computing-like Generative AI-likely resides with purpose built, industry-specific tools deployed directly at point of use. This is likely how countries in the global south will develop digital sovereignty and avoid the environmental/power grid costs seen in the United States, particularly in more climate vulnerable regions.