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 CO 2 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 CO 2 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 CO 2 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 CO 2 emissions, while an increase of GDP allocated to military expenditure (e.g., USA, China, Israel, South Korea) has detrimental effects on CO 2 emissions, potentially hampering Net Zero aspirations. These findings hold significant implications for both theory and policymaking in the environmental arena.