Jules de Waart studied physical geography, specializing in geology, geomorphology, and climatology, at the University of Amsterdam. He graduated in 1967 and earned his Ph.D. in 1971 with the thesis “Cenozoic Evolution of a Polygenetic Landscape near Cannes, S.E. France.” The study describes the landscape’s evolution over the past 60 million years, focusing on tectonics and climate. For the first time, rock weathering studies were used to reconstruct climate and landscape evolution.

He worked as an exploration geologist in Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo, where he led a small exploration team. When her returned to the Netherlands, he took a position at the Ministry of Health and Environmental Policy.

Drawn into politics, he served for many years in the Provincial Council of North Holland and later in the National Parliament. His areas of interest included environmental pollution and defense. He was Secretary to the Military Committee of the NATO Assembly and co-author of The State of the Alliance, 1986–1987.

After leaving politics, he worked as an interim manager on a wide range of projects. He retired at the age of 63 and returned to academic study at the University of Amsterdam, earning an MSc in Political Science and an MA in Humanities. He developed an interest in the philosophy of science and became deeply engaged in the field of climate change. To better understand the complex issues, he wrote the book Geloof niet alles (Do Not Believe Everything), published in Dutch in 2022. An expanded and translated edition was released in English in August 2025 under the title Crisis or Hoax: Climate Change in Science, Media, and Politics.