Sanitation, water, energy use, and traffic volume affect environmental quality: Go-for-green developmental policies

Abstract

Carbon emissions are primarily the result of human activity in urban areas. Inadequate sanitary facilities, contaminated drinking water, nonrenewable energy, and high traffic congestion have all impacted the natural ecosystem. Using data from 1975 to 2019, the study assessed the impact of the aforementioned variables on Pakistan’s carbon emissions in light of this crucial fact. The ARDL cointegration method was used to estimate the short- and long-run parameter estimates. Urban sanitation challenges and energy consumption increase carbon emissions, which affects the natural environment by raising a country’s carbon intensity. Economic expansion confirmed the inverted U-shaped relationship between carbon emissions and economic growth to verify the Environmental Kuznets Curve (EKC) hypothesis in the long run. In contrast, the monotonically rising function of carbon emissions provides evidence of the nation’s economic development in the short run. Access to clean drinking water improves population health and encourages the purchase of eco-friendly products. The government must improve sanitation services and use renewable energy sources to enhance air quality.

The Economic Value of Natural Resources and Its Implications for Pakistan’s Economic Growth

“…Second, the greater use of energy in industrial production increases the country' economic growth, which helps them utilize natural resources as raw material in industrial production and would enable to obtain foreign reserves for the country. However, the earlier literature shows the concerns of ecological footprints and biowaste, leading the economic growth towards worsening due to compromising healthcare sustainability agenda [60][61][62][63]. In this regard, the study attracted more inbound FDI in cleaner production technologies to offset the adverse effects of industrial pollution, leading to improved economic development.…”

Renewable Energy Utilization and Environmental Pollution Control in the New City Area Mamminasata Metropolitan, Indonesia

“…Thus, it can be concluded that the effect of space utilization, renewable energy utilization, and transportation management simultaneously explains 94.84% of the sustainability of the Mamminasata new city area. Furthermore, the use of renewable energy contributes to economic activities and reduces carbon emissions, especially those produced by human activities Khalil et al, 2022).…”

Re-visiting the Nexus Between Energy Consumption, Environmental Quality and Health Expenditure in Gulf and North American Regions

“…In addition to reducing health costs, increased environmental regulations and investment in sustainable technologies improve environmental quality and improve health outcomes (Omri, Kahouli, Afi, & Kahia, 2022). Considering energy consumption, environmental quality and health expenditure in general the EKC theory provides valuable insights (Khalil et al, 2022). Sustainable development and improving health outcomes can be achieved through environmental regulations (Ameli, Esfandabadi, Sadeghi, Ranjbari, & Zanetti, 2023).…”