In recent years, the global recognition of the right to a healthy and sustainable environment has gained significant momentum. In 2022, the United Nations General Assembly adopted a resolution affirming that every person is entitled to live in a clean, healthy, and sustainable environment a milestone in the evolution of environmental human rights that obliges states to transform commitments into measurable action. This global framework underscores the importance of not only articulating environmental rights but also building the systems and tools to measure and enforce them effectively.

 

For Jordan, a country grappling with water scarcity, air quality challenges, and pressure on natural resources, the journey from rhetoric to measurable reality requires a multifaceted approach. In this context, the Ministry of Environment has placed this issue at the forefront of its strategic priorities, demonstrating a strong and consistent commitment to advancing environmental protection and sustainability. National laws such as the Environmental Protection Law (No. 6 of 2017) and subsequent frameworks establish the legal basis for environmental stewardship and assign responsibility to the Ministry of Environment to protect air, water, soil, and biodiversity. These laws mandate scientific monitoring, setting standards for pollutants and requiring environmental impact assessments for development projects, offering a legal foundation for accountability and measurement.

 

Jordan’s institutional architecture includes the Ministry of Environment’s strategic plans, such as the 2023–2025 strategy, which sets out objectives for green growth, climate action, and improved environmental quality while embedding monitoring and evaluation mechanisms to track progress. The strategy reflects an understanding that environmental protection must be anchored in measurable indicators and systematic review rather than aspirational plans alone.

 

Despite these legal and strategic frameworks, the real test lies in implementation. Reports on environmental performance in Jordan reveal mixed results: strides in governance structures and local environmental initiatives coexist with persistent challenges such as low renewable energy uptake and resource inefficiencies. According to recent assessments, while Jordan ranks relatively high in local environmental governance, its performance in material productivity and renewable energy consumption signals a gap between policy frameworks and on-the-ground outcomes, highlighting the need for measurable and transparent evaluation tools.

 

To make environmental rights a measurable reality, Jordan must invest in robust data systems that capture environmental conditions in real time and make information available to policymakers, civil society, and citizens alike. Here, artificial intelligence (AI) can play a transformative role. The Jordanian Artificial Intelligence Strategy (2023–2027) outlines a comprehensive framework to mainstream AI across public sectors, emphasizing data-driven governance, secure data sharing, and performance monitoring. By harnessing AI, Jordan can enhance its capacity to analyze complex environmental data, detect emerging threats, and improve the precision of policy interventions.

 

Practical applications of AI are particularly promising in areas such as air quality monitoring and waste management. For example, AI-enabled sensor networks can provide continuous, high-resolution air quality data across urban and rural areas, allowing authorities and communities to assess pollution trends and enforce regulatory standards more effectively. Similarly, AI algorithms can optimize waste collection routes, predict peak waste generation times, and improve recycling efficiency, turning previously anecdotal observations into quantifiable performance metrics.

 

AI can also support water resource management, a critical area for Jordan given its extreme water scarcity. By analyzing consumption patterns with machine learning, authorities can detect leaks, forecast demand, and allocate water resources more sustainably. Integrating AI in environmental impact assessment models can further enhance the accuracy of predictions about how new infrastructure or industrial projects will affect ecosystems, biodiversity, and human health, enabling policy decisions grounded in data rather than assumption.

 

However, integrating AI into environmental governance is not without challenges. Technical capacity, infrastructure investment, ethical concerns around data privacy, and clear legal frameworks for AI deployment are essential prerequisites for success. Policymakers must ensure that AI systems are transparent, inclusive, and aligned with national priorities, so that they empower stakeholders rather than entrench inequalities.

 

Civil society organizations also have a vital role to play in this transformation. Entities such as Jordan’s National Center for Environmental Justice work to strengthen environmental rule of law and promote evidence-based advocacy, serving as watchdogs that bridge the gap between policy commitments and community realities. Collaboration between government, academia, industry, and civil society can harness AI’s potential in ways that are accountable and aligned with the public interest.

 

Turning environmental rights from slogans into measurable reality in Jordan demands a cultural shift toward transparency, innovation, and data-driven governance. It calls for a commitment to invest in technologies, build institutional capabilities, and empower citizens with access to reliable information. By embedding AI into environmental monitoring and decision-making, Jordan can not only measure its progress more effectively but also create a model of sustainable governance where environmental rights are respected, enforced, and experienced in everyday life.

 

The author is a specialist in educational technology