{"id":150367,"date":"2023-02-13T16:31:17","date_gmt":"2023-02-13T15:31:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/?p=150367"},"modified":"2025-12-19T11:26:38","modified_gmt":"2025-12-19T10:26:38","slug":"my-generation-has-failed-when-it-comes-to-the-climate-issue","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/2023\/02\/13\/my-generation-has-failed-when-it-comes-to-the-climate-issue\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018My generation has failed when it comes to the climate issue\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"

After an academic career lasting almost 35 years, Professor Harry Geerlings will officially be bidding farewell to the university on Friday. Prior to his farewell speech, he looks back on his career. A conversation about the port, sustainability and saying goodbye. \u201cPolluters in the port must take the step towards sustainable energy themselves.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Harry Geerlings will give his farewell speech on Friday 'A port always causes hassle'.<\/span><\/p>

\n\t\n\n<\/svg>\n<\/span>\n\tImage by:<\/span>\n\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tRonald van den Heerik<\/a>\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>

A farewell interview with a professor who has worked at the university for almost 35 years: surely there must be a nice location within \u2018his\u2019 faculty for that? But as he already formally retired two months ago, his room was already empty three days before his farewell speech (even his huge pot plant has gone<\/a>). Booking a room turns out to be more difficult than expected, so it ended up being a small, untidy meeting room right opposite his former office. \u201cAs you can see, I\u2019ve already got nothing more to say\u201d, says Geerlings with a big smile on his face.<\/p>\n

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A great experience<\/h2>

The situation reflects the mixed feelings with which the professor of Governance of Sustainable Mobility is saying goodbye to the university and the ESSB faculty. Submitting a syllabus on time, the daily concerns within the faculty or the pressure of upcoming exams. When it comes to that kind of thing, Geerlings is happy that it\u2019s over. \u201cThe faculty is currently reorganising its education yet again. It\u2019s great that I no longer have anything to do with that.\u201d<\/p>\n

At the same time, he will greatly miss his contact with the students and fellow researchers. However, Geerlings also knows that the end of his academic career is secretly inevitable. \u201cIt\u2019s hard sometimes, I\u2019m still really in the flow. I\u2019m still involved in acquisition, even now. If you\u2019re not careful, you tend to just keep working. But I realise more than ever that it was a great experience.\u201d The selection procedure for new doctoral candidates was the moment when the penny dropped. \u201cThe dean said: there\u2019s no point attracting post-docs if you can no longer supervise them. It was at that point that I knew I had to leave.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\t

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\n\t\t\u2018It\u2019s hard sometimes, I\u2019m still really in the flow\u2019\n\t<\/blockquote>\n\n\t<\/figure>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n

Worked out well in the end<\/h2>

Geerlings\u2019 academic career almost lasted only twelve months instead of 35 years. His very first temporary contract with a research institute was not renewed in the early 1980s because of a round of cuts. At that time, the economy was so poor that there weren\u2019t many job opportunities left for Geerlings. \u201cI was forced to work in secondary education at that point. I had a family and needed an income. It wasn\u2019t my calling, and I didn\u2019t really want to do it.\u201d<\/p>\n

So a few years later, when one of the respondents from his graduation research unexpectedly contacted Geerlings to ask if he was interested in a position at the EUR, he seized the opportunity right away. \u201cBut it was a big step. I had a permanent position and was paid much more in secondary education. We also had children, and at the university I was only given a modest contract for three months. But this was my chance to make the switch to the university. And it worked out very well.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\t

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Lees meer<\/h2>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t