Greening The Accounts

Finding such accounts of national wealth as Gross Domestic Product and Gross National Product to stand for all that is unsustainable and to be a relic to an industrial age that has passed and must be repudiated, European and North American scholars of accounting, economics, and politics describe an approach to accounting that is compatible with ecological economics. In a dozen studies they cover the history of national accounts, green accounting as a policy instrument, and uses of green accounting. The intended readers are scholars of ecological economics, environmental studies, and business and national accounting. Annotation copyrighted by Book News Inc., Portland, OR

This title was first published in 2003. Our cherished economic indicators of income, product, consumption and capital fail in taking a long-term view of social progress. They do not account for environmental deterioration, which impairs the quality of life of present and future generations, and hence the sustainability of development. "Greening" the conventional national (and corporate) accounts introduces environmental impacts and costs into these accounts and balances. The result is a new compass for steering the economy towards sustainability, which may change not only our main measures of economic performance but also the basic tenets of environmental and resource policies. This book presents methodological advances and case studies of environmental accounting, and discusses their use in environmental management and policies. In their introduction, the editors provide a critical perspective of historical developments and current debates.

In today’s society, environmental concerns are at the forefront of entrepreneurial decision-making and planning. With increased attention on an organization’s environmental impact, researchers and business leaders strive to provide the best methodologies and strategies for effective environmental reporting and accountability. Green Accounting Initiatives and Strategies for Sustainable Development presents the latest scholarly research on the economic, social, and environmental objectives essential to the planning and support of future organizations and communities. This publication is an essential reference source for academicians, researchers, advanced level students, and professionals interested in designing business models and financial plans with consideration for environmental and social liabilities. This publication features timely, research based chapters on economic, social, and environmental policies including, but not limited to, green performance measurement, triple bottom line reporting, sustainable societies, environmental protection, and risk and adaptive management.

This policy briefing series communicates the findings from nine workshops and three plenary meetings under the EVE programme. These showed the diversity of research currently being undertaken in the area of environmental values and their policy expression. The type of information relevant to the decision process extends from ecological functioning to moral values.

'This is an important book. It not only serves as a valuable contribution to green accounting, it is a testament to Salah El Serafy's tireless efforts to reform the national income accounts in ways that would better reveal the sustainable product of nations and the value of development policies. No matter what differences the reader may have with some of the points made, there is no denying that the world would be a much improved place if the reforms suggested by El Serafy were implemented.' – Philip Lawn, Flinders University, Australia 'This book is a fabulous summary of Salah El Serafy's seminal contributions to "greening" national income accounts. If only we had employed the famous "El Serafy method" of investing depletion of non-renewable resources into renewable alternatives, the world would be in a much stronger and more sustainable place today. Hopefully it is not too late to take up this and El Serafy's many other recommendations for improving national income accounting.' – Robert Costanza, Portland State University, US Though scientists and environmentalists have long expressed concern over the rapid deterioration of the global environment, economists have largely failed to recognize the issue's relevance to their field. Salah El Serafy argues for an increased focus on the economic aspects of environmental degradation, calling for a fundamental shift in how economists measure and discuss national income. Through a combination of new material reflecting recent developments in the field and previously published essays that provide a history of green accounting, the author emphasizes the importance of considering natural resources as part of a nation's economic capital. Setting forth what has become known as the 'El Serafy Method', this fascinating and complex volume presents both the justification and the methodology for giving the environment a place in the global economic conversation. Students, professors, researchers and policymakers in the field of environmental and ecological economics will no doubt find much to appreciate in this thoughtful and comprehensive analysis of the intersection between economics and the environment.

Modern companies are subject to increasing pressures to conduct their business in an environmentally responsible manner due to social and environmental problems. Management of sustainable performance is one of the phenomena faced by the current business environment and, in particular, management corporations. The focus of management on profitability remains the main objective of any company, but it must also take into account the sustainability of social, economic, and environmental aspects. Under these circumstances, managerial decisions need to be adjusted and strongly substantiated, considering the information required by internal and external stakeholders, including financial reporting. The information requirements of customers and other stakeholders are steadily increasing, and some companies face certain problems in implementing the concept of sustainability and environmental reporting. CSR and Management Accounting Challenges in a Time of Global Crises is a comprehensive reference source that explores various theoretical and practical approaches of management accounting and its impact in the 21st century and investigates new accounting and financial approaches where economic and social aspects become mutually supportive to enhance their impact on community development. Covering topics such as CSR reporting, sustainability, and greenwashing, this book is an essential resource for academicians, specialty organizations, chief financial officers (CFOs), financial controllers, business analysts, financial planning and analysis (FP&A) analysts, budgeting managers, students, researchers, and business environment managers and specialists.

To date, both internal and external corporate environmental reporting and management systems have focused on physical input–output measures. However, external stakeholders are increasingly demanding that organisations provide more financial information about the costs and benefits of their environmental actions. As environmental costs rise, internal decision-makers are also seeking such information to ensure that money is well spent. Beyond basic compliance, many companies will not countenance environmental actions for which a "business case" cannot be made. A number of companies – such as Baxter, BT, Xerox, Zeneca and others – are now beginning to develop a better understanding of the costs and benefits of environmental action. The US Environmental Protection Agency has also done considerable work on models designed to understand the "full costs" of pollution control investments, with the aim of demonstrating that – when these are properly considered – pollution prevention can be a more cost-effective alternative. The Green Bottom Line brings together much of the world's leading research and best-practice case studies on the topic. Divided into four sections, covering "General Concepts", "Empirical Studies", "Case Studies" and "Implementation", the book includes case studies from the US EPA's Environment Accounting Programme and contributions from authors at institutions including the IMD, INSEAD, Tellus Institute and the World Resources Institute. It constitutes a state-of-the-art collection.