Trust Fairness, and the Social License to Change

Dr. Louise Comeau, Senior Advisor, Re. Climate, and Jennifer Morgan, Former Special Envoy for Germany and Former Executive Director, Greenpeace International Trust and fairness are the foundations of climate and sustainability progress at every scale. In international negotiations, they are the currency through which agreements are reached. At the local level, they determine whether the projects needed to drive the energy transition actually get built. From the negotiating table to the community, nothing moves without them. In this conversation, Louise Comeau, whose research examines public acceptance of climate action, and Jennifer Morgan, a global leader in climate diplomacy and negotiations, explore how trust, fairness, and legitimacy shape what societies can achieve together. Drawing on emerging evidence and lived experience, they examine how perceptions of fairness influence public responses to policy and change, and what it takes to rebuild cooperation in an increasingly fragmented world. A conversation from The Gathering 2026