The Role of ICT in MENA Environmental Sustainability: A Panel GMM Approach

Siti Aisyah (Universitas Muhammadiyah Surakarta)
Dinar Wahyuningrum (Universitas Muhammadiyah Surakarta)
Aflit Nuryulia Praswati (Universitas Muhammadiyah Surakarta)
Muhammad Randhy Kurniawan (Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia)
Vinisa Nurul Aisyah (School of Communication, Simon Fraser University, British Columbia, Canada)

JURNAL ECONOMIA
Vol. 22 No. 3 (2026): October 2026

Climate change poses a major threat to environmental sustainability worldwide, particularly in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, which faces rising temperatures, prolonged droughts, and air pollution. The role of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in environmental sustainability remains debated, as studies report both positive and negative effects. This study investigates the impact of ICT, education, GDP per capita, and tourism on environmental sustainability in selected MENA countries from 2015 to 2020. Annual data were obtained from the World Development Indicators, and the Arellano-Bond Generalized Method of Moments (GMM) model was employed for analysis. The findings indicate that ICT contributes positively to environmental sustainability in the sampled countries, while GDP per capita has a detrimental environmental effect. These results suggest that policymakers should expand access to ICT and promote its integration into energy consumption systems and sustainable economic activities to support environmental sustainability in the region