Public science and environmental sustainability : a national culture framework for innovation ecosystems en route to net zero

Despite the proliferation of national environmental science worldwide, the erosion of environmental sustainability presents a problem for advanced economies with a substantial volume of scientific output. The worsening state of the natural environment presents a profound conundrum at the intersection of science and sustainability, characterised by conflicting pathways for the world's nations. In this study, I confront this predicament by examining whether the influence of national culture moderates the transition of domestic scientific research into tangible CO2 emissions reduction. Drawing on a dataset spanning 30 nations renowned for their high scientific productivity over a 24-year period, I use a panel data model that incorporates lag time to analyse the nuanced impact of national cultures on sustainability. My findings reveal distinctive outcomes: those cultures characterised by high Power Distance (e.g., Eastern European) contribute to increased CO2 emissions via an industrial innovation pathway that prioritises economic growth, while those with high Individualism and high Uncertainty Avoidance (e.g., Western European) facilitate a reduction in CO2 emissions through the translation of scientific knowledge into public science that stimulates a societal innovation pathway and sustainability. In addition to these moderating effects, my investigation exposes that Gross Domestic Product (GDP) per capita exerts a direct positive influence on CO2 emissions, while an increase of GDP allocated to military expenditure (e.g., USA, China, Israel, South Korea) has detrimental effects on CO2 emissions, potentially hampering Net Zero aspirations. These findings hold significant implications for both theory and policymaking in the environmental arena.