Conference in Development and Climate Economics

May 28, 2026
Rome, Italy - Villa Mondragone

The accelerating climate crisis poses complex and uneven challenges for societies across the globe. Understanding how climate change interacts with economic development, institutional capacity, technological progress, and social well-being is now one of the most urgent and intellectually demanding tasks for researchers and policymakers alike.

The Conference in Development and Climate Economics, organized by SITES, AICC, and the Fondazione Tor Vergata of the University of Rome Tor Vergata, brings together leading scholars, practitioners, and international institutions to advance frontier knowledge on the intertwined agendas of development and climate change mitigation and adaptation.

The Institute for Economic Development is pleased to take part in this year’s conference with a session on Leveraging Multi-Level Data to Measure Climate Risks and Adaptation.

This session will highlight how combining different types of data—from satellite and climate information to household surveys and people’s own perceptions—can improve how we understand climate risks and adaptation. Speakers from FAO, FEEM/OpenMod4Africa, the University of Padova, and the World Bank Group, will explore how a integrated approach can improve climate risk measurement, capture adaptation more effectively, and support scalable, policy-relevant decision-making in data-scarce contexts.

May 28, 2026

Introduction and Moderation

Romina Cavatassi, Program manager, WBG Institute For Economic Development

Measuring Climate Risk through Geospatial and Remote Sensing Data

Hideki Kanamaru, FAO

Advances in using satellite imagery, remote sensing, and climate data to measure exposure to droughts, floods, heat, and environmental degradation.

Opportunities and limitations of objective measures of climate risk
Linking fine-scale geospatial information with household-level outcomes
Examples of how remote sensing can help identify adaptation gaps and vulnerable populations

Open-Source Geospatial Tools for Energy and Climate Planning: Lessons from OpenMod4Africa

Giulia Vaglietti, Fondazione Eni Enrico Mattei (FEEM) / OpenMod4Africa

Open-source energy system models and geospatial tools are increasingly central to understanding the intersection of climate, energy access, and development in data-scarce contexts.

How open-source, GIS-based modelling tools — such as OnSSET — can support electrification and climate-energy planning by integrating geographic, socioeconomic, and climatic data
Generating long-term, scenario-based energy transition pathways for African countries and regions using harmonized, interoperable open datasets
Lessons for broader climate data systems: lowering barriers to evidence-based planning and strengthening African institutional capacity to conduct their own analyses
How open-source community-built tools can produce actionable, policy-relevant insights in contexts where conventional data infrastructure is limited

Using Mental Model Interviews to Understand Adaptation-Related Beliefs and Behaviors and to Improve Quantitative Survey Questions

Pamela Giustinelli, Universita’ di Padova

Mental model interviews as a tool to understand households’ beliefs and behavior related to climate risks and adaptation
Early evidence from mental model interviews on flood risk perceptions and adaptation in Bangladesh
Early lessons for integrating perception modules into household surveys

The LSMS Perspective: Integrating Household Surveys, Weather Station Data, and Remote Sensing Data to Measure Climate-Related Socioeconomic Impacts

Adriana Paolantonio, World Bank Group

Recent LSMS work on measurement error in household survey-linked remote sensing weather data
Evidence from a methodological experiment in Uganda testing the use of in-situ weather sensors
Validation of weather data sources and investigation of discrepancies across measures
Implications for the estimation of agricultural production relationships
Operational insights and priorities for future research and scale-up

Moderated Discussion and Q&A

	Romina Cavatassi is Program Manager at the World Bank Group’s Institute for Economic Development, where she leads work on agrifood systems, climate adaptation, and sustainable development. She has over 20 years of experience across the World Bank, IFAD, and FAO, bridging research, policy, and operations. Romina holds a PhD in Natural Resource Economics from Wageningen University (The Netherlands), an MSc in Environmental Assessment and Evaluation from the London School of Economics (UK), and a Master’s degree in Economics from the University of Bologna (Italy).
	Pamela Giustinelli is Associate Professor of Economics at the University of Padova and Associate Editor of the Economic Journal. Her research focuses on subjective expectations, uncertainty, and measurement, with applications to education, labor, health, climate change, and firm behavior. Prof. Pamela Giustinelli holds a Bachelor in Business Economics from the University of Verona, a Master's in Economics from Bocconi University, and a PhD in Economics from Northwestern University.
	Hideki Kanamaru is a Climate Change Officer at the FAO Office of Climate Change, Biodiversity and Environment. He leads a team working on climate services, generating evidence on climate risks in agriculture to inform adaptation investments and policy decisions, and advancing the use of weather and early warning information to help farmers manage climate and weather-related risks.
	Adriana Paolantonio is an Economist with the World Bank’s Living Standards Measurement Study (LSMS), where she works on agriculture, rural development, climate adaptation, and survey methods. Previously, she worked at IFAD and FAO on impact evaluation and climate-smart agriculture. She holds a Ph.D. in Economics from the University of Rome Tor Vergata and a master’s degree in Cooperation and Development from the University of Pavia.
	Giulia Vaglietti is a researcher at FEEM specializing in environmental and energy economics, with a focus on climate and resource management. She leads the capacity-building work package of OpenMod4Africa, supporting African energy planning through open-source tools, data, and local expertise. Since her Master's degree in Environmental and Food Economics from the University of Milan, she has specialized in environmental and energy economics, with a strong emphasis on climate change. She is focusing on an open energy system modelling toolbox specifically adapted to African needs. This toolbox, called the OM4A Toolbox, will provide models and datasets that allow African energy experts and decision-makers to conduct in-depth analyses on how to achieve a low-carbon, reliable, and competitive energy supply.