An Empirical Analysis of The Impact Of The Climate Crisis on The Misery Index in The Countries of the Mena Region

This study examines the macroeconomic effects of climate-induced environmental pressures in 17 countries in the MENA region, selected due to their high sensitivity to climate change and economic vulnerability. For the period 1991–2021, the Misery Index (MI) is employed as the dependent variable, while the Water Stress Index (WS), Freshwater Use (FW), Renewable Energy Consumption (REC), Forest Area (FA), and Average Precipitation (AP) are used as independent variables. Panel analyses reveal that WS, FW, and REC have positive and statistically significant effects on MI, whereas no statistically significant relationship is found between FA, AP, and MI. The findings suggest that climate–economy interactions should be systematically integrated into policy design.