GCR President

This was the central question at the I hope your time in Durham is full of great achievements and unforgettable memories. As I write this letter on a train from London to Durham, a thought came to my mind. It was a memory, a flashback to 2019 when I started my PhD. I thought about my arrival in the United Kingdom, full of excitement, uncertainty, and fear of being so far away from home. Little I knew back then that in the next three years I would become the GCR President, I would spend a great amount of time in multiple lockdowns, and that I would find myself writing a welcome letter to our new Ustinovians. I guess when people say that life is full of surprises, they are absolutely right. And since I am now talking about life and changes, I will take this opportunity to tell you about a change that has considerably changed me in these last three outstandingly changing times. Climate change. Yes, that one. The one I hope you are very aware of.

I should probably start by saying that I am a geologist. My career has taken me in many different directions: from studying volcanic rocks to groundwater to geological formations as prospects for CO2 subsurface storage. My ‘favourite rock’ has changed so many times over time too; it all started with a rhyolite crush, to now sandstone being the one I happily dedicate much of my time. Starting a PhD related to CO2 sequestration has made me see climate change in a very different way. If you had asked me three years ago if I knew what climate change is, I would have replied with a very confident yes. But I think about that answer now and I can tell you that I was wrong. If you had asked me back then if I knew how much CO2 the train in which I am travelling right now emits compared to the car I used to drive back in my home country, I would have replied with a guilty ‘yes’. Or if you had asked me what difference makes eating beef or chicken (which now I try to eat at least five times a week) in terms of our carbon footprint, another elaborated lie would have come out of my mouth. It turns out my pretending to be a green hero resulted only in me being the actual anti-hero. I am not saying that I would beat Greta Thunberg in a climate change knowledge contest, but I know that for every action there is a reaction, and with climate change there is no going back.

I can say that besides my PhD, there are some other experiences that have helped me become a more climate change aware person. During my first PhD year, I submitted a successful application to the Centre for Doctoral Training in Energy at Durham. This experience has given me the opportunity to expand my academic network in an interdisciplinary environment. Postgraduate students from several Departments of the University meet every Friday to discuss new challenges, technologies and publications related to energy. If you are interested in energy in general, I would like to encourage you to apply since it is a unique opportunity offered only at our university.

I had also the opportunity to obtain my Carbon Literacy Certificate during the summer. This was yet another of the many benefits that come from being a postgraduate student at Durham. One of the requirements to obtain this certificate was to submit a group pledge, with the aim of influencing people to reduce their carbon footprint. This letter is in part that pledges, as I would like to invite you to act now and help fight climate change. Cycle or walking where possible, and buying local to avoid food waste are great examples of small changes that can make a big impact. Climate change is a powerful thing, but people are powerful beings. Let’s use that power wisely.

I would like to finish this letter by letting you know that the GCR is always open to receive applications to create new societies and activities, so if you have any ideas please reach out (climate change action group anyone?). We are here to make your time in Ustinov even better. And from a not-so-new Ustinovian to you, new Ustinovian: enjoy every single moment while at Ustinov and feel very proud of yourself.

Joel Lozano Ustinov GCR President 2022/2023