Jay Sterling Gregg Personal Statement

footprints in the snow

PERSONAL STATEMENT

On a midsummer’s night hike to the summit of Gwanksan, I marveled at how the night sky was set aglow by the city lights of Seoul, South Korea, a city that has undergone a spectacular transformation in the last few decades. In the last century, cheap, readily available energy has transformed cultures, ways of life, and humanity on a global scale. Yet, now, with oil and gas nearing global peak production, and global energy demand continuing to rise exponentially, there is a growing consensus that we will soon have to turn elsewhere for our energy needs.

Months later, hiking in the Aoraki region of New Zealand, I passed dusty signs marking the past extent of the rapidly receding glaciers. The melting ice, exacerbated by an enhanced greenhouse effect, feeds rivers that flow into rising oceans. In the near future, these waters may be lapping up against the bright lights of a distant coastal metropolis. This scene served as a poignant reminder of how the environment connects all of the Earth's inhabitants, across continents, political boundaries and societies. Energy and climate are two sides of the same coin: modern societies are largely powered by the combustion of fossil fuels, which releases carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. Yet a society ultimately collapses in a faltering environment.

The issues of fossil energy and the global environment represent a tragic race between depleting sources and sinks. Never before has our situation been so dire, and yet never before have we had the potential, opportunity and the imperative for uniting in a cause to develop novel and grand solutions. This is truly a momentous time for energy and climate research and policy, where, in the face of catastrophe, humanity must now make a stand and reshape the global society.

For my part, I recognize that my personal carbon footprint is larger than that of the average world citizen. Some of this is due to chance of birth; being born an American has given me many opportunities, including that of consumption. Inexpensive energy has always been available to me. Yet so many other societies in the world are currently striving (with choking skies, forests of cranes, and swelling rivers of traffic) for the American lifestyle and the energy consumption patterns that come with it. Should they be denied this dream? On the other hand, is it feasible under the current fossil-dominated energy profile? How much further can the planet's sources and sinks be stretched? It is a constant reminder of the privilege that fossil energy has given me, and the responsibility that comes with it. Paradoxically, my carbon footprint has only increased since I began research in this field, and my opportunities have expanded with my curiosity for exploring new places and cultures. My travels have enabled me to better understand the problem, but they have come at a price: I have amassed a carbon debt that I can only hope, through my work, will one day be repaid.

Therefore, I aspire be at the forefront of a growing movement of world citizens that are forging a cohesive unity between policy, science, technology, economics, sociology and philosophy on global energy and environmental issues. I endeavor to be a lifelong learner in energy and climate change issues, to inspire and educate future leaders and to remain active in a field responsible for communicating the importance of sustainable energy and climate research to citizens and policy makers. The issues touch all facets of our existence, and so the solution must also be broad and far reaching. Thus we must depend not only on science and technology, but draw from human creativity to seek out new ways in which to define our existence and relationship to each other and our small planet, and use this to forge a philosophy for sustainability in the context of a global society.

There are many rays of hope. Public awareness for sustainable energy and concern for environmental degradation have been rapidly increasing in the developed world. Through partnerships and close relationships with developing societies, there is the exciting potential for developing nations to leapfrog fossil-fuel heavy industrial revolutions, in favor of implementing green technology now. Homes hundreds of years old have been retrofitted with solar water heaters in rural Turkey. Even in China, atmospheric carbon is sequestered by vast afforestation efforts. On horseback, in Inner Mongolia, I explored the grassy steppe under the largest wind farm in Asia. And in Korea, I stood on the sunny shores of Jejudo, with the comforting whoosh of turbine blades blowing in the sea breeze. They are small steps, but I am confident momentum is building, leading us towards a more harmonious and sustainable balance between us and our planet.