Jean Laherrère

Retired petroleum geophysicist and executive

His early childhood was spent in south-west France, where he had to endure years of wartime occupation, before going to study mathematics and physics, and later geology and geophysics, at universities in Paris and Grenoble. However, he injured his leg in a road accident, such that he could not contemplate work as a field geologist, and accordingly moved to geophysics, joining TOTAL in 1955. His career took him to Algeria, where he was involved in the geophysical work, including new techniques, responsible for major finds in the Sahara. He was then transferred to Australia and Canada before returning to Paris with worldwide responsibilities for technical performance. His mathematical background led him to develop various techniques for evaluating depletion, such as the parabolic fractal of field-size distribution. He continued this work in retirement and has made many scientific presentations and publications, also addressing other issues, such as climate change. Graph-making became a particular fascination.

These experiences and studies have led me to conclude that the world does indeed face a turning point of historic magnitude.