‘All numbers are wrong but some numbers are useful’ to paraphrase, statistician, George Box

We asked ourselves a simple question: Can we measure our distance from a people- and planet-regenerating state?

Those who know me may be surprised!. I have long argued at measurement and metrics cause as many, if not more problems, than they solve.  That is a long story but in essence, for anything you measure there are millions of other things which are important, and you are not measuring – so side effects and unforeseen consequences plague us – not least in medical practice, see this blog.

At OnePlanet we are now proposing, based on 100 social, environmental and economic indicators, to score any Plan, or group of Plans, on the likelihood of it/them generating health of people + community + local economy + planet.

Leveraging the incredible work of one of the world’s leading thinkers, Professor Karl Friston, on Active Inference and the Free Energy Principle, we are experimenting with his Bayesian approach to understanding how any ‘thing’ survives.  If we accept we need a healthy planet for humanity and our economy to survive, then alignment to planetary boundaries, in a way that is good for human health and the strength of our communities, is necessary.  This is something we can estimate and for which we can create an overall score, whose accuracy and usefulness can be improved over time as we learn how to respond and collaborate better.

We have already created a prototype and plan to launch a wider trial in the autumn.  If you are interested do contact me pooran.desai@oneplanet.com or watch this space by signing up to our newsletter.