The Australian National Greenhouse and Energy Reporting Act and its implications for accounting practice and research : A mini‐review

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to draw out the accounting implications of the National Greenhouse and Energy Reporting (NGER) Act in Australia. Design/methodology/approach – An analytical approach is undertaken to ascertain the (accounting) practice and research implications of the NGER Act. Findings – Accounting researchers, especially those with interests in social and environmental issues, have a critical role to play in highlighting the potential of the accounting practice in managing, and providing accountability over, carbon emissions, facilitated via the NGER Act. A number of opportunities in social and environmental accounting research are also identified in this paper. Practical implications – The paper highlights that the NGERS legislation which requires reporting of carbon emissions by affected parties has a number of implications for the accounting practice. Originality/value – The paper relates a practical issue, in this case the NGER Act, to accounting and suggests that the accounting process can play a critical role in organizational attempts to manage, communicate and price carbon emissions.