Photo by
@franslanting
Paul Ehrlich passed away recently at the age of 93, leaving behind a legacy based on an extraordinary body of work, amassed from a lifetime of studying nature and people’s interactions with it. Paul was a visionary and often way ahead with his thinking about the finite nature of Planet Earth. His critics faulted him for not being accurate with his dire predictions about population expansion and food scarcity in his influential book, The Population Bomb (1967). But his critics miss the central theme of Paul’s work: we cannot outrun the Earth's limits no matter how much technologist like to cite new innovations which are often short term fixes that do not address fundamental problems.
Paul was not just an eminent scientist, he was not afraid to express opinions, scientifically as well as through popular media. He appeared on The Johnny Carson Show more than 20 times. He liked throwing pebbles in lots of ponds to see where the ripples would go.
Paul’s intellectual ripples reached me. He had a huge influence on my own thinking early in my career as an environmental economist. I still treasure my annotated copy of his important textbook, Population Resources and Environment, cowritten with his wife, Anne Ehrlich, and with John Holdren, who went on to become President Obama’s chief science advisor. That book was published in 1977 and became a go-to educational resource for anyone interested in environmental issues at the time.
Paul’s outspoken personality overshadowed the vital role his wife, Anne, played as a co-author, editor, and intellectual partner. They were together for 72 years. Christine and I were privileged to get to know Paul and Anne personally, and we fondly recall our wide-ranging conversations, enlivened by good food and wine.
I made this private portrait of Paul during one of our dinners at their apartment on the outskirts of the Stanford campus. Their home was full of amazing art, personal mementos, and scientific publications—and everything had a story. In this portrait, you can just make out references to Ernst Mayr and Charles Darwin. Paul liked good company.
