Located in western Massachusetts, UMass Amherst is the flagship campus of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts' five-campus University of Massachusetts system. UMass Amherst is a nationally recognized teaching and research institution with a current enrollment of about 28,500 students.

University of Massachusetts Amherst

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Economic benefits of ecosystem-based disaster risk reduction and ecosystem-based climate change adaptation: a global review

El Niño and children: Medium-term effects of early-life weather shocks on cognitive and health outcomes

Scientific evidence of the economic benefits of ecosystem-based disaster risk reduction and ecosystem-based climate change adaptation

Scientific evidence for ecosystem-based disaster risk reduction

Differences in Nature Based Solutions perception and implementation strategies across academic disciplines, an empirical analysis

Marta Vicarelli's work focuses on the risks and the socioeconomic impacts of climate variability and climate change; the economics of disaster risk-reduction based on the use of ecosystems; the economics of sustainable architecture, energy-efficient infrastructure, and green urbanism; and renewable energy.

Economics of Sustainability

Political Economy of the Environment

Environmental Policy

Environmental Economics

Socioeconomic Impacts of Climate Change

UMass Amherst Faculty Profile

Personal Website

Google Scholar Citations

ResearchGate Citations

Nature-based solutions to disaster risk from climate change found to be cost effective, UMass Amherst study confirms

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‘Walking into the lion’s den’: Cities and towns say they need help as climate change dangers grow

UMass survey illuminates significant municipal impacts of the pandemic

Assistant Professor of Economics and Public Policy

Professor Marta Vicarelli led a survey-based study to provide a comprehensive outlook and data baseline on climate resilience in Massachusetts from the point of view of municipalities. Conducted in 2021, the purpose of the survey was to gather information about the climate change hazards and impacts experienced in coastal and inland municipalities; the resilience strategies adopted to address these challenges; the barriers encountered during the design and implementation of resilience strategies; and the data needs of Massachusetts communities and planning agencies to aid implementation of resilience strategies. The results of the study will be used to align the mission, research activities, and deliverables of the new Northeast Center for Coastal Resilience with the actual regional needs of municipalities, planning agencies, decision makers, and practitioners.

Bio:
Marta Vicarelli is Assistant Professor of Economics at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. Her research focuses on the risks and the socio-economic impacts of climate variability and climate change; the economics of sustainable architecture, energy-efficient infrastructure, and green urbanism; the economics of disaster risk-reduction based on the use of ecosystems; and the design of climate vulnerability-reduction instruments, such as weather-indexed insurance programs. Previously she was a research fellow at the NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies investigating observed impacts and responses to climate change and was a contributing author to the Intergovernmental Panel for Climate Change (IPCC) Fourth Assessment Report, Working Group II, on impacts, adaptation and vulnerability.

Professor Vicarelli holds a B.S. in Earth and Atmospheric Sciences from the École Normale Supérieure in Paris, a Master of Environmental Economics from the École Polytechnique, as well as a Master of International Affairs and a Ph.D. in Sustainable Development from Columbia University.

Background:

https://www.umass.edu/news/article/new-report-provides-comprehensive-outlook-climate-resilience-massachusetts

The results of the survey described by Professor Vicarelli will be used to refine the mission of the new Northeast Center for Coastal Resilience (NCCR), a knowledge hub involving all campuses of the UMass system (https://www.umass.edu/ses/nccr).

The report can be downloaded at https://www.umass.edu/spp/sites/default/files/climate_resilience_a_survey_of_massachusetts_municipalities.pdf

Marta Vicarelli, Massachusetts Municipalities Views about Climate Resilience

“Wait…What?!” is a bi-monthly discussion offering a chance for our community to convene on emerging issues we all face, albeit with varied challenges.

During the pandemic, community organizations and institutions sought to understand the complex and intertwined challenges people were facing. Pandemic-related or exacerbated issues were underscored in surveys that were traditionally implemented annually and in research initiatives that targeted lived experiences specific to the impact of COVID-19.

Our next “Wait…What?!” will be on Western Massachusetts women in the workforce in this shifting climate. In this discussion, we will consider the findings, solutions, and best practices uncovered by the Massachusetts Commission on the Status of Women, the University of Massachusetts Amherst School of Public Policy, and The Commonwealth Institute – reports that discuss both the impact of COVID on the workforce and existing issues.

Download and Read the Reports
- Impacts of COVID-19: A Survey of Massachusetts Households: https://www.umass.edu/spp/research-action/projects/impacts-covid-19-survey-massachusetts-households
- 4th Annual Women’s Leadership Impact Study (Scroll to the bottom of TCI’s page to download): https://commonwealthinstitute.org/programs-events/research/
- Women in the Workforce in a Time of Transition (Soon to be released!)

Wait...What?! The Shifting Climate of the Women’s Workforce in Western MA

Naturance Talks

As the Finance Innovation Festival approaches (23-24 of May 2024), Marta Vicarelli, Assistant Professor of Economics at the University of Massachusetts - Amherst, held a talk titled "On the cost-effectiveness of Nature-based Solutions for reducing disaster risk".

Marta Vicarelli: On the cost-effectiveness of Nature-based Solutions for reducing disaster risk

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