¿Cómo contabilizar el impacto ambiental de las empresas? El caso de las emisiones de gases de efecto invernadero
Keywords:
social accounting, social value, stakeholders, environment, climate changeAbstract
The aim of this paper is to analyse how to assess the environmental impact of companies from a social accounting perspective. The theoretical study contributes to the literature on social and environmental accounting and provides practical guidance on how to account for the environmental impact of organizations. After reflecting on whether the environment can be considered a stakeholder and how to approach the analysis of the environmental value created or destroyed, the study is limited to the case of greenhouse gas emissions, main source of climate change, and therefore one of the great environmental challenges faced by our society. Specifically, it analyses the quantification and valuation of greenhouse gas emissions through different models available to assign a monetary value, from market prices to mitigation costs or social costs. The study concludes that monetary valuation of the environmental impact can be integrated into social accounting, as long as the entire value chain and societal costs (or benefits) are considered. Accounting for the environmental value of companies can help transform conventional economic-financial accounting and improve the internal decision making of companies in accordance with principles of ethics and sustainability.
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