IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/bla/ausact/v34y2024i4p265-282.html

The Visibility of Climate‐Related Disclosures by Large Australian Companies

Author

Listed:
  • Peijing Yang
  • Tanya Fiedler
  • Clinton Free

Abstract

Mobilising the work of Brighenti (2007), we assess the visibility of climate‐related disclosures across different reporting venues and sectors for the 2022 reporting period. We do so by analysing the content of the corporate reports of 28 ASX50 companies. This is supplemented by articles published in the Australian media and on prominent activist investor websites. We find that physical climate risks are often under‐reported or superficially addressed in company reports, whereas transition opportunities related to a low‐carbon economy are more frequently disclosed. This discrepancy suggests a pattern of selective disclosure emphasising more favourable outcomes and potentially obscuring the full spectrum of climate‐related risks and opportunities. In contrast, transition risks are supra‐visible because of the attention from media and activist investors—particularly in the energy and materials sectors. Our results reflect concerns raised by regulators with regard to greenhushing (the withholding of information) of physical and transition risks and greenwashing (exaggerated claims) of transition opportunities. We also find inconsistencies in reporting practice, with implications for comparability and the faithful representation of climate‐related information.

Suggested Citation

  • Peijing Yang & Tanya Fiedler & Clinton Free, 2024. "The Visibility of Climate‐Related Disclosures by Large Australian Companies," Australian Accounting Review, CPA Australia, vol. 34(4), pages 265-282, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:bla:ausact:v:34:y:2024:i:4:p:265-282
    DOI: 10.1111/auar.12433
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://doi.org/10.1111/auar.12433
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1111/auar.12433?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Jan Bebbington & Carlos Larrinaga-Gonzalez, 2008. "Carbon Trading: Accounting and Reporting Issues," European Accounting Review, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 17(4), pages 697-717.
    2. Samantha Warren, 2005. "Photography and voice in critical qualitative management research," Accounting, Auditing & Accountability Journal, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 18(6), pages 861-882, December.
    3. Rong He & Le Luo & Abul Shamsuddin & Qingliang Tang, 2022. "Corporate carbon accounting: a literature review of carbon accounting research from the Kyoto Protocol to the Paris Agreement," Accounting and Finance, Accounting and Finance Association of Australia and New Zealand, vol. 62(1), pages 261-298, March.
    4. MacKenzie, Donald, 2009. "Making things the same: Gases, emission rights and the politics of carbon markets," Accounting, Organizations and Society, Elsevier, vol. 34(3-4), pages 440-455, April.
    5. Dong Ding & Bin Liu & Millicent Chang, 2023. "Carbon Emissions and TCFD Aligned Climate-Related Information Disclosures," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 182(4), pages 967-1001, February.
    6. Bingler, Julia Anna & Kraus, Mathias & Leippold, Markus & Webersinke, Nicolas, 2022. "Cheap talk and cherry-picking: What ClimateBert has to say on corporate climate risk disclosures," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 47(PB).
    7. Nicholas Stern & Joseph Stiglitz & Charlotte Taylor, 2022. "The economics of immense risk, urgent action and radical change: towards new approaches to the economics of climate change," Journal of Economic Methodology, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 29(3), pages 181-216, July.
    8. Cook, Allan, 2009. "Emission rights: From costless activity to market operations," Accounting, Organizations and Society, Elsevier, vol. 34(3-4), pages 456-468, April.
    9. Sue Hrasky, 2011. "Carbon footprints and legitimation strategies: symbolism or action?," Accounting, Auditing & Accountability Journal, Emerald Group Publishing, vol. 25(1), pages 174-198, December.
    10. Robert S. Pindyck, 2017. "The Use and Misuse of Models for Climate Policy," Review of Environmental Economics and Policy, Association of Environmental and Resource Economists, vol. 11(1), pages 100-114.
    11. Ao Li & Eric C.T. Lee, 2023. "Commentary: Climate‐Related Risks Disclosures in the Notes to Financial Statements: Descriptive Evidence from Australia," Australian Accounting Review, CPA Australia, vol. 33(3), pages 230-236, September.
    12. repec:eme:aaaj00:09513570510627748 is not listed on IDEAS
    13. Moreno, Angel-Ivan & Caminero, Teresa, 2022. "Application of text mining to the analysis of climate-related disclosures," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 83(C).
    14. Salvatore Principale & Simone Pizzi, 2023. "The Determinants of TCFD Reporting: A Focus on the Italian Context," Administrative Sciences, MDPI, vol. 13(2), pages 1-12, February.
    15. Ans Kolk & David Levy & Jonatan Pinkse, 2008. "Corporate Responses in an Emerging Climate Regime: The Institutionalization and Commensuration of Carbon Disclosure," European Accounting Review, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 17(4), pages 719-745.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Gan, Yufei, 2025. "When green claims turn brown: The Impact of corporate greenwashing on biodiversity risk in China," The Quarterly Review of Economics and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 104(C).

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Frank Hartmann & Paolo Perego & Anna Young, 2013. "Carbon Accounting: Challenges for Research in Management Control and Performance Measurement," Abacus, Accounting Foundation, University of Sydney, vol. 49(4), pages 539-563, December.
    2. Rong He & Le Luo & Abul Shamsuddin & Qingliang Tang, 2022. "Corporate carbon accounting: a literature review of carbon accounting research from the Kyoto Protocol to the Paris Agreement," Accounting and Finance, Accounting and Finance Association of Australia and New Zealand, vol. 62(1), pages 261-298, March.
    3. Carmela Gulluscio & Pina Puntillo & Valerio Luciani & Donald Huisingh, 2020. "Climate Change Accounting and Reporting: A Systematic Literature Review," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(13), pages 1-31, July.
    4. Thereza RS de Aguiar, 2018. "Turning accounting for emissions rights inside out as well as upside down," Environment and Planning C, , vol. 36(1), pages 139-159, February.
    5. Talbot, David & Boiral, Olivier, 2013. "Can we trust corporates GHG inventories? An investigation among Canada's large final emitters," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 63(C), pages 1075-1085.
    6. J.I. Gorospe- Oviedo & A.I. Mateos- Ansótegui, 2012. "Related party transactions and emissions rights: accounting and direct international taxation," Chapters, in: Larry Kreiser & Ana Yábar Sterling & Pedro Herrera & Janet E. Milne & Hope Ashiabor (ed.), Carbon Pricing, Growth and the Environment, chapter 8, pages 117-131, Edward Elgar Publishing.
    7. Jeanne, Amar & Demaria, Samira & Rigot, Sandra, 2023. "What are the drivers of corporates' climate transparency? Evidence from the S&P 1200 index," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 213(C).
    8. Yang Stephanie Liu & Xiaoyan Zhou & Jessica Yang & Andreas Hoepner, 2016. "Corporate Carbon Emission and Financial Performance: Does Carbon Disclosure Mediate the Relationship in the UK?," ICMA Centre Discussion Papers in Finance icma-dp2016-03, Henley Business School, University of Reading.
    9. Konstantinos Evangelinos & Ioannis Nikolaou & Walter Leal Filho, 2015. "The Effects of Climate Change Policy on the Business Community: A Corporate Environmental Accounting Perspective," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 22(5), pages 257-270, September.
    10. Liu, Yang Stephanie & Zhou, Xiaoyan & Yang, Jessica Hong & Hoepner, Andreas G.F. & Kakabadse, Nada, 2023. "Carbon emissions, carbon disclosure and organizational performance," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 90(C).
    11. Moore, David R.J., 2011. "Structuration theory: The contribution of Norman Macintosh and its application to emissions trading," CRITICAL PERSPECTIVES ON ACCOUNTING, Elsevier, vol. 22(2), pages 212-227.
    12. Peter Warwick & Chew Ng, 2012. "The ‘Cost’ of Climate Change: How Carbon Emissions Allowances are Accounted for Amongst European Union Companies," Australian Accounting Review, CPA Australia, vol. 22(1), pages 54-67, March.
    13. Francisco Ascui & Heather Lovell, 2011. "As frames collide: making sense of carbon accounting," Accounting, Auditing & Accountability Journal, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 24(8), pages 978-999, October.
    14. Haozhe Song & Gunnar Rimmel, 2025. "Debtholders' reaction to sustainability reporting regulations: International evidence," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 34(1), pages 88-115, January.
    15. Kaidonis, Mary & Moerman, Lee & Rudkin, Kathy, 2009. "Paradigm, paradox, paralysis: An epistemic process," Accounting forum, Elsevier, vol. 33(4), pages 285-289.
    16. Olivier Boiral & Marie‐Christine Brotherton & Léo Rivaud & David Talbot, 2022. "Comparing the uncomparable? An investigation of car manufacturers' climate performance," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 31(5), pages 2213-2229, July.
    17. Sophie Giordano-Spring & Carlos Larrinaga & Géraldine Rivière-Giordano, 2024. "Field-configuring events and the failure to standardise accounting for carbon emissions," Accounting, Auditing & Accountability Journal, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 37(9), pages 216-247, July.
    18. Jones, Michael John, 2010. "Accounting for the environment: Towards a theoretical perspective for environmental accounting and reporting," Accounting forum, Elsevier, vol. 34(2), pages 123-138.
    19. Yeut Hong Tham & Puji Handayati & Yuni Yuningsih & Zhiyue Sun & Tatas Ridho Nugroho, 2025. "Carbon Reduction Initiatives, Corporate Governance and Sustainability Assurance—Do Multiple Directorships and Board Tenure Matter?," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 17(3), pages 1-19, January.
    20. Roger L. Burritt & Stefan Schaltegger & Dimitar Zvezdov, 2011. "Carbon Management Accounting: Explaining Practice in Leading German Companies," Australian Accounting Review, CPA Australia, vol. 21(1), pages 80-98, March.

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:bla:ausact:v:34:y:2024:i:4:p:265-282. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Wiley Content Delivery (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.blackwellpublishing.com/journal.asp?ref=1035-6908 .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.