Peter van der Wel

The lectures and masterclasses of Peter van der Wel offer both policy makers and entrepreneurs perspective on how to deal with and anticipate future developments, through systems thinking.

The looming climate crisis, robots taking over our work, polarization in society, war. We are often afraid of the unknown which always lies in the future. Peter explains how foresight and anticipation can lead us to ‘the good future’. 

As difficult as it may be to imagine, we as humanity have a shared ideal of civilization and a shared future. Creating a better world is something that we should do together. Peter explains how embracing futurology can help with that.

Futurology is humbling, it shows how little influence we have on the major driving forces of change. At the same time, Peter emphasizes that by examining future scenarios we can actually deflect in a new direction. As a society, but also as individuals, we do have an impact.

Futurology interfaces with many domains and disciplines. Peter’s lectures are therefore applicable to any audience, but are adapted to your specific industry and challenges.

“As a futurologist, I want to contribute to a more sustainable, fairer world. And I also truly believe that this is possible; creating a future that is good for all of us. My lectures are therefore not only entertaining and informative, they are also a wake up call – activating people to start thinking about the future in the present.”

“That is undoubtedly my diverse background, I am an economist as well as a futurologist and have accumulated a lot of knowledge and experience over the years in both areas. I tell and show what the future has to offer, and back this up by sharing knowledge and practical examples. I have 30 years of experience as a speaker, but also as a consultant. This has allowed me to glance into the kitchens of countless organizations and see how they deal with certain challenges. I tap into these practical experiences and vibrantly share them with the audience.”

“Buckminster Fuller is my hero. Architect, inventor, philosopher and futurologist. He coined the phrase ‘Spaceship Earth’ to describe our planet. He saw the earth as a spaceship, with humanity as its crew. Only by working together we can control it and make it work. He was a great visionary.”

“I love a lot of things. Walking with my dog, taking the camper out on the road, reading about something new. But my life fulfillment comes from connecting with people. It’s a day well spent if I’ve had a nice conversation with someone. For the things and people I love I always make time.”

“It makes me happy when I am able to inspire people. When my insights on futurology haunt their minds for a long time. And that they realize futurology is not looking into a crystal ball, but science. I like to talk to people in the audience afterwards, to hear what valuable insights it has provided for them.”

Many people are afraid of the future. They are afraid of the looming climate crisis, afraid of the polarization in society, afraid that robots will take over our jobs or afraid of artificial intelligence running out of control. In this presentation, Peter contrasts this with another image of the future: The Good Future.

During this lecture, Peter will show how existing technology can eliminate 90% of all emissions of harmful substances and greenhouse gases within 15 years. That is much faster than agreed in the Paris Agreement. And this does not require draconian measures and we will not see a drop in prosperity or standard of living. On the contrary, these transitions will generate a lot of new prosperity. The beauty of it is that these transitions are already underway and are simply a consequence of economic and technical laws. We can either stimulate or slow down these transitions. The choice is ours.

And it doesn’t stop there. To make it even more beautiful, many other problems will also disappear by extension. In this way, we can also accelerate the realization of the 17 SDGs of the UN. Finally, for everyone on earth good basic facilities, good education, good medical care and a good living environment.

You often hear that the world is changing faster and faster. However, this is only partly true. Only those who do not look ahead enough are overwhelmed by the events that are coming our way. This is true for the climate problems, the nitrogen problems and it was also true for the recent problems with COVID-19. Many people and organizations do not look ahead enough. How can you learn to look into the (still uncertain) future? What are the possible, probable, desired and unexpected futures? In this master class you will learn the 100 lessons of futurology that will help you to see the future better and to make better decisions in the present.

Of course every masterclass is tailor-made. Both in terms of content and format Peter tunes his masterclass in consultation with the client to the desired objectives and the participants.