Our team addresses the implementation gap, i.e. the problem that adaptive policy-intervention methods and management methods are known, but not implemented. Key to addressing the implementation gap are attitudes, values, and institutions, which greatly affect how natural resources are governed. We study socio-economic and cultural differences as well as cross-country obstacles to good governance of climate change, with a particular focus on conflict and cooperation. Yet, what does this entail? We operate on the level of – maybe conflicting – ethical baselines for good governance of limited natural resources in a transdisciplinary approach. Recent research suggests, for instance, that a better understanding of national security discourses is key to effectively scoping the available space, time, and willingness to negotiate water issues under conflict, which in turn is crucial for future water diplomacy. Via a discourse and ethics analysis of qualitative data, we identify regional policy makers’ and stakeholders’ attitudes towards the basi(c)s of good governance facing climate change as well as normative reasons for their attitudes.