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AI-Enabled Digitalization and Environmental Practices in Municipal Waste Management: Pathways to Climate
Muhammad Ahsan Iqbal1, Asifa Muhammad Sabir2, Kundan Kumar3
1Rawalpindi Women University, Rawalpindi, Pakistan.
Environmental Management
|August 4, 2026
Summary
Effective solid waste management (SWM) significantly boosts climate sustainability. Integrated environmental practices and AI-driven digital tools are key mediators, enhancing municipal waste systems for better climate outcomes.
Area of Science:
- Environmental Science
- Urban Planning
- Information Technology
Background:
- Rapid urbanization and climate change intensify solid waste management (SWM) challenges.
- The mediating roles of digital transformation and environmental governance in SWM and climate sustainability require further investigation.
- Municipal SWM is crucial for achieving climate sustainability goals.
Purpose of the Study:
- To examine how municipal solid waste management (SWM) promotes climate sustainability.
- To evaluate the mediating effects of environmental management practices and AI-enabled digitalization.
- To assess the impact on economic-environmental-social sustainability outcomes.
Main Methods:
- Cross-sectional survey of 406 employees from seven Water and Sanitation Service Companies (WSSCs) in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan.
- Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) and Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) with bootstrapped mediation analysis (5000 resamples).
- Measurement of waste management effectiveness, environmental practices, AI digital systems, and sustainability outcomes.
Main Results:
- Effective SWM shows a significant positive relationship with climate sustainability (β = 0.41, p < 0.001).
- Environmental practices (regulatory compliance, pollution control, training) and AI digital capabilities (tracking, optimization, reporting, dashboards) significantly mediate this relationship (indirect effects: ENV = 0.13, DIG = 0.12, joint = 0.21).
- Integrated environmental management and smart digital technologies enhance climate benefits from municipal waste systems.
Conclusions:
- Municipal SWM, when supported by robust environmental management and AI-driven digitalization, significantly contributes to climate sustainability.
- Environmental practices and digital transformation act as crucial mediators, amplifying the positive impact of SWM on climate goals.
- The study offers policy guidance for enhancing SWM through AI tools, governance, and incentives aligned with Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
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