Imagine you are advising a government on where to invest in climate resilience. Now ask yourself — what data are you relying on? Who built the numbers you’re using? And what might be missing?

In my work, I have spent years developing and applying metrics – to measure climate hazards, environmental risks, vulnerability, and policy performance.

Metrics help us navigate complexity. They simplify, prioritise, and guide decisions across science, policy, and practice. But they also carry assumptions, trade-offs, and blind spots.

This is a story about metrics — and a quiet reflection on how we might use them with greater care, clarity, and intent.