Season 2 of The No Nonsense Sustainability Podcast with Ildiko Almasi Simsic

S2 EP22 What is a Health Impact Assessment? with Ben Cave

Did you know that 1 in 4 global deaths are preventable by correcting environmental factors? When it comes to sustainability, human health isn't a separate issue—it’s right at the center of how we design our policies, projects, and environments. In this episode of The No Nonsense Sustainability Podcast, host Ildiko sits down with global HIA authority and past president of the IAIA, Ben Cave. Alongside his co-editors Francesca Viliani and Mirko Winkler, Ben has just published the definitive textbook for the industry: the Handbook of Health Impact Assessment. We cut through the academic jargon to deliver a highly practical discussion on what it actually takes to build healthier, more equitable systems. What we cover in this episode: * The true determinants of health: Why our wellbeing is shaped far more by our environments than by healthcare systems alone. * Integrating HIA into ESIA: How health fits into the broader Environmental and Social Impact Assessment framework. * A career in impact assessment: Practical advice on how to build expertise and become a recognized health impact professional. * The Handbook: Why this comprehensive guide was published Open Access and how you can use it in your daily work. Links & Resources: * Download the Handbook for FREE: https://www.e-elgar.com/shop/gbp/handbook-of-health-impact-assessment-9781035328604.html [https://www.e-elgar.com/shop/gbp/handbook-of-health-impact-assessment-9781035328604.html] Note from the host: We keeping things entirely transparent here—this episode was recorded in two takes, which means a small continuity error snuck into the final edit. Think you can spot it? Head over to our social channels and let us know where we slipped up!

Season 2 of The No Nonsense Sustainability Podcast with Ildiko Almasi Simsic

Lenders hide behind bureaucracy. Developers hide behind budgets. Advocates hide behind ideals. In a multi-billion-dollar world of ESG, sustainability, and mega-infrastructure, we have built a massive, expensive fortress of paperwork while real-world impacts get left behind. Welcome to Season 2 of The No Nonsense Sustainability Podcast, hosted by frontline E&S practitioner and author Ildiko Almasi Simsic. This season, we are stripping the international development industry down to its absolute foundations. No corporate fluff, no sanitized PR scripts, and no macro slogans allowed. We tackle the structural realities, social risks, and operational crises of global capital allocation—ranging from the high-stakes sands of futuristic megaprojects and the chaos of permitting in fragile, un-governed states, to deep-dives into modern impact accounting, diversity frameworks, and frontline human safety. Every episode kicks off with our signature 60-Second Buzzword Challenge. Our guests—including the literal godfathers of international disciplines, global banking executives, and frontline human rights defenders—have exactly one minute to explain their work in plain, conversational English. If they slip into academic boilerplate or institutional jargon, Bob the Buzzer strikes. No exceptions. New episodes drop bi-weekly on Thursdays, starting July 16, 2026. It’s time to move past the jargon, step into the shoes of the people executing on the ground, and look at what actually works. Step into the mud, look past the headlines, and keep it real. Connect with the show: https://linktr.ee/thenonensesustainability [https://linktr.ee/thenonensesustainability]

EP21 Renewable Dreams vs Local Realities: Making Wind Projects Socially Positive with Adele Tharani

Is the energy transition truly "just," or are we just swapping one set of problems for another? This week, Ildiko is joined by Adele Tharani, Social Sustainability Manager at Ørsted. As the world’s leading offshore wind developer, Ørsted is at the front lines of the "Renewable Dream"—but Adele argues that the dream only works if it's built on a foundation of social sustainability. In this episode, we dig into: * What "Just Transition" actually looks like when you’re breaking ground on a multi-billion dollar project. * The responsibility of developers to act as long-term stewards of the communities they enter. * Why "socially positive" management is a strategic business requirement, not a CSR bolt-on. * How to avoid "Social Washing" in the race to Net Zero. No fluff. No jargon. Just the real work of building a sustainable future.

EP20 Engagement That Matters: Beyond the Consultation Checkbox with Paul Lawrence

Is it really "meaningful engagement" if you don’t even know who your stakeholders actually are? In this episode of The No Nonsense Sustainability Podcast, Ildiko Almasi Simsic sits down with international expert Paul Lawrence to strip away the corporate jargon surrounding stakeholder relations. Paul brings decades of experience working in remote villages and project-affected communities - far removed from the comfort of boardrooms and report writing. Together, they discuss why stakeholder engagement is one of the most misunderstood concepts in sustainability today and why "consultation" is so often reduced to a meaningless checkbox. In this episode, we cover: * The Identification Crisis: Why you can't have a strategy if you haven’t properly identified who is actually impacted. * E&S vs. ESG: Why E&S disclosure is often more robust and well-defined than its ESG counterpart. * The Reality Gap: The difference between writing a report for the board and talking to people whose lives are being fundamentally changed by a project. * Paul’s 3 Pillars: A practical framework for any company looking to build a legitimate stakeholder engagement strategy. If you’re tired of "fluff" and want to understand the grit and reality of international stakeholder engagement, this episode is for you.

EP19 Disclosures Decoded: From Rules to Real Impact with Robert Adamczyk

Is the EU’s sustainability reporting wave a masterstroke or a bureaucratic monster? In this episode, we’re joined by Robert Adamczyk, Head of the Energy Sector Team at the EBRD and a key architect behind the EFRAG technical standards. Robert has spent two decades moving the needle on heavy industry and ESG frameworks, but today, he’s putting the jargon aside to give us the real story. We dive deep into why the CSRD was perhaps "over-ambitious" from the start and why the current shift toward simplification isn't just helpful - it’s necessary. We break down the "Double Materiality" headache and ask the ultimate no-nonsense question: Is all this reporting actually leading to doing, or are we just drowning in data? If you want to understand the practical implementation of ESRS/CSDDD without the "green gloss," this is the conversation you’ve been waiting for.