Two-way public engagement is essential for fusion energy impact

Fusion has the potential to help humanity meeting its energy challenges. If deployed at scale, fusion could reduce CO2 emissions and address global energy poverty. But fusion can not achieve these impacts if it is not accepted by the public. The risk of non-acceptance, often refered to as a lack of a "social license," is not academic -- there are numerous examples of innovative technologies that offer life saving benefits but that are nonetheless rejected by societies, worldwide. Fission is a prime example for the fusion community, but there are many others, including vaccines, genetically modified food, and renewable sources of energy in some contexts. A powerful means of avoiding such rejection is to engage with the public early in a process of two-way conversation so that public concerns can be addressed during technology development before technical and business model choices are locked-in.