This is the fourth episode of a series focused on the findings of the Horizon Europe project CAPABLE (ClimAte Policy AcceptaBiLity Economic framework). The aim of this podcast series is to provide an overview of the CAPABLE project and draw attention to some particularly relevant findings.  

In this fourth episode, we explore how focusing on workers can help achieve a climate transition and keep public opinion on board.
The guest is Giulia Laganà. Giulia was a migration expert for fifteen years before broadening her focus to include labour rights and the climate transition from 2018. She has been a senior adviser to the President of the Italian Parliament and spent five years with the United Nations and seven in private philanthropy, most recently for ClimateWorks Foundation and previously with the Open Society Foundations. Giulia has experience of advocacy, policymaking, grant management and donor relations as well as communications. An Italian national, Giulia is also part-British and part-Spanish. She has been leading the International Trade Union Confederation’s Just Transition & Climate department since January 2024.

CAPABLE is a research project funded by the Horizon Europe Programme under grant agreement No 101056891. It provides robust, resilient and actionable recommendations for the design of socially and economically acceptable climate policy measures for 2030 and beyond, examining experiences, policy design and implementation solutions to identify strategies that can enable a successful transition. Views and opinions expressed are those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union.  

More info on CAPABLE: https://capableclimate.eu/  

CAPABLE: The role of national unions in the Just Transition - Episode 4

On Episode 605 of Impact Boom, Sam Lucas of Onja discusses harnessing education, technology, and outsourcing to create career pathways for underprivileged youth in Madagascar, and why trust, sustainability, and social enterprise models are key to transforming lives and scaling global impact.

If you are a changemaker wanting to learn actionable steps to grow your organisations or level up your impact, don't miss out on this episode!

If you enjoyed this episode, then check out Episode 560 with Stéphane Akoki on creating self-reliance through remote work and financial literacy in West Africa -> https://bit.ly/48cm0BE

The team who made this episode happen were:
Host: Indio Myles
Guest(s): Sam Lucas
Producer: Indio Myles

We invite you to join our community on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn or Instagram to stay up to date on the latest social innovation news and resources to help you turn ideas into impact. You'll also find us on all the major podcast streaming platforms, where you can also leave a review and provide feedback.

Episode 605 (2025) Sam Lucas On Building Sustainable Social Enterprises Creating Global Careers

Dwight Zscheile is a professor of congregational mission and leadership at Luther Seminary, and his wife, Blair Pogue, is a priest and canon for vitality and innovation in the Episcopal Church in Minnesota. They join Leader’s Way host Brandon Nappi for a conversation about their joint passion for engaging the innovative ways the Church is renewing its commitment to community and communion by meeting people where they are.  Brandon talks with Dwight and Blair about their new book, Embracing the Mixed Ecology: Inherited and New Forms of Christian Community Flourishing Together, which unpacks the theological language of “mixed ecology,” and how this language can help us imagine what is possible in our church communities.

Host: Brandon Nappi

Guests: Dwight Zscheile and Blair Pogue

Production: Goodchild Media

Instagram: @theleadersway.podcast berkeleydivinity.yale.edu/podcast

You can support our work at https://tinyurl.com/support-transforming-leaders


Embracing the Mixed Ecology of the Church with Dwight Zscheile and Blair Pogue

According to Eddie Rish, CEO of the International Hydropower Association (IHA) sustainable hydropower is the ignored giant of renewable energy. Mr Rish provides an overview as to how it plays a pivotal role in enabling the global energy transition by providing secure, reliable, low-carbon electricity and flexible storage. This webinar explores how it’s different uses can help to provide clean, green, secure, flexible, and affordable energy systems.

About the Speaker:
Eddie Rish has worked on the role of corporates in international development for over 20 years. He was appointed CEO of IHA in 2019. Since then, IHA has repositioned itself as a values-based organisation that prioritises sustainable hydropower.” He was instrumental in the launch of the Hydropower Sustainability Standard in 2021 and the establishment of the influential International Forum on Pumped Storage Hydropower. In 2022, IHA was awarded International Association of the Year.
Previously, Mr Rish was deputy head of the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI).His prior experience included working as the UK Government Department for International Development (DFID)’s representative to Angola and its deputy head in Kenya. He was also head of the DFID's corporate social responsibility team.

The Role of Sustainable Hydropower within the Energy Transition

This webinar features a keynote address by Professor Emily Shuckburgh, Director of Cambridge Zero, followed by a fireside chat with Dr Eileen Culloty, Deputy Director, DCU Institute for Media, Democracy, and Society. Together, they will discuss the persistence of climate change myths, the role of the media in shaping public understanding, and how fact-checking, improved communication, and public engagement can counter misinformation. The discussion will highlight how false narratives can undermine climate action, and how researchers, communicators, and the public can work together to build a more informed and constructive debate.

This event is part of the IIEA’s REthink Energy series, organised in partnership with ESB.

Professor Emily Shuckburgh CBE is a world-leading climate scientist and science communicator, who is the director of Cambridge Zero, the University of Cambridge’s ambitious climate change initiative. Prof Shuckburgh is a mathematician and Professor of Environmental Data Science at Cambridge’s Department of Computer Science and Technology.

Dr Eileen Culloty is an Assistant Professor in the School of Communications, DCU and Deputy Director of the DCU Institute for Future Media, Democracy, and Society. Her work focuses on disinformation, media literacy education, and the future of public media.

Challenging Climate Myths: Science, Media, and Public Trust

Following the end of the Cold War, the world experienced a remarkable wave of democratization. Over the next two decades, numerous authoritarian regimes transitioned to democracies, and it seemed that authoritarianism as a political model was fading. But as recent events have shown, things have clearly changed. Based on their new book Dictating the Agenda, Alexander Cooley and Alexander Dukalskis reveal how today's authoritarian states are actively countering liberal ideas, advocacy surrounding human rights and democracy across various global governance domains.

About the Speakers:

Alexander Cooley is the Claire Tow Professor of Political Science and Vice Provost for Research and Academic Centers at Barnard College, Columbia University. From 2015-21 he served as the 15th Director of Columbia University's Harriman Institute for the Study of Russia, Eurasia and Eastern Europe. Professor Cooley's research examines how international actors have influenced the governance, sovereignty, and security of the post-Communist states. In addition to his academic publications, Professor Cooley's commentaries have appeared in Foreign Affairs, New York Times, and Washington Post and he has testified for the US Congress, UK Parliament and the Parliament of Canada.


Alexander Dukalskis is associate professor in the School of Politics & International Relations at University College Dublin. His research and teaching interests include authoritarian politics, human rights, and Asian politics. He is also a frequent expert commentator in national and international media on these themes. From 2022-2024 he directed UCD's Centre for Asia-Pacific Research. He is the author of two previous books, Making the World Safe for Dictatorship (Oxford University Press, 2021) and The Authoritarian Public Sphere (Routledge, 2017), and academic articles in several leading journals.

The Authoritarian Resurgence in World Politics

On Episode 606 of Impact Boom, Melissa Abu-Gazaleh of Top Blokes Foundation discusses addressing Australia’s youth mental health crisis by creating safe spaces for young men to build resilience, how mentoring in schools and workplaces reduces social risk factors, and why scaling patiently is critical for long-term systemic change.

If you are a changemaker wanting to learn actionable steps to grow your organisations or level up your impact, don't miss out on this episode!

If you enjoyed this episode, then check out Episode 512 with Phil Smith and Luke Wright on fusing men's sheds and social enterprise to empower remote Indigenous communities -> https://bit.ly/3KSXETE

The team who made this episode happen were:
Host: Indio Myles
Guest(s): Melissa Abu-Gazaleh
Producer: Indio Myles

We invite you to join our community on Facebook, LinkedIn or Instagram to stay up to date on the latest social innovation news and resources to help you turn ideas into impact. You'll also find us on all the major podcast streaming platforms, where you can also leave a review and provide feedback.

Episode 606 (2025) Melissa Abu-Gazaleh On Redefining Masculinity And Mental Health Support

In her address to the IIEA, Erin Sikorsky discusses the pathways through which climate change is shaping instability and conflict globally. Her remarks reflect upon how extreme weather, slow-onset hazards, and responses to climate change intersect with geopolitical competition, hybrid warfare, and other foreign and security policy trends.

About the Speakers:

Erin Sikorsky is Director of the Center for Climate and Security (CCS), and the International Military Council on Climate and Security (IMCCS). She is also the author of Climate Change on the Battlefield, published earlier this year. Previously, Erin served as Deputy Director of the Strategic Futures Group on the US National Intelligence Council (NIC) in the United States, where she co-authored the quadrennial Global Trends report and led the US intelligence community’s environmental and climate security analysis. She was the founding chair of the Climate Security Advisory Council, a US Congressionally mandated group designed to facilitate coordination between the intelligence community and US government scientific agencies. Prior to her position on the National Intelligence Council, she worked as a senior analyst in the US intelligence community for over a decade, leading teams examining conflict and instability risks in Africa and the Middle East, and won the National Intelligence Analysis Award.

Hot Wars, Hot Planet: Climate Change and Security in a Competitive World

On Episode 607 of Impact Boom, Mohit Rauniyar of Canopy Nepal discusses implementing creativity, storytelling, and student-centred learning in classrooms to reduce dropout rates in schools, and the potential for accessible education opportunities to uplift and empower communities.

If you are a changemaker wanting to learn actionable steps to grow your organisations or level up your impact, don't miss out on this episode!

If you enjoyed this episode, then check out Episode 586 with Monica Pesswani on empowering Indian students with joyful skills-based education for the 21st century -> https://bit.ly/4hj5rXg

The team who made this episode happen were:
Host: Indio Myles
Guest(s): Mohit Rauniyar
Producer: Indio Myles

We invite you to join our community on Facebook, LinkedIn or Instagram to stay up to date on the latest social innovation news and resources to help you turn ideas into impact. You'll also find us on all the major podcast streaming platforms, where you can also leave a review and provide feedback.

Episode 607 (2025) Mohit Rauniyar On Reimagining Education To Enhance Student Engagement

'European defence: economics and business perspectives'

Europe is rearming. The changed perception of the threat posed by Russia since its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022 has led to increases in defence spending in most countries and commitments by Nato members to make further substantial increases in the future. To understand the economic and business implications of this, the next edition of IIEA Insights will feature economist Juan Mejino-López of the Bruegel think tank in Brussels and Barry Lunn, founder and CEO of Proviso

Barry Lunn is the founder and CEO of Proviso, a firm at the cutting of edge of developing advanced sensors for the transport sector. Based in Shannon, the company’s clients have included Nasa, Uber and Ford, among others.

Juan Mejino-López is a research analyst at Bruegel where he has written about defence, among other things. He has previously worked on on public policy in the academic and consultancy sectors.

Barry Lunn and Juan Mejino-López - 16th of October 2025

In her speech to the IIEA, Kata Tüttő, President of the European Commission of the Regions, addresses the European Commission’s proposal for the next EU budget (2028-2034). She argues that the proposals represent an unprecedented attempt to centralise and nationalise EU policies, weakening the role of regions and cities in the European project. Whilst recognizing the emerging challenges of security and competitiveness, President Tüttő speaks about how regional and local leaders can mobilise to promote Europe’s growth model by ensuring that local and regional authorities play a full and inclusive role.

Speaker bio:

Kata Tüttő is a Hungarian politician, economist, and public servant with over two decades of experience in local government, European policy-making, and urban sustainability. As of February 2025, she serves as president of the European Committee of the Regions (CoR), which represents local and regional governments from across Europe. At the same time, she remains a member of the Budapest City Council. Previously, Ms Tüttő served as the deputy mayor of Budapest from 2019-2024, overseeing climate adaptation, waste and water management, public transport, and utility services. She played a crucial role in making Budapest more sustainable and resilient, advocating for green investments and inclusive urban development.

CAPABLE: The role of national unions in the Just Transition - Episode 4

FSR Energy

Related tracks