IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/bla/bstrat/v34y2025i7p8213-8236.html

Accounting for Climate Change: A Temporal Analysis of the Literature

Author

Listed:
  • Ubaldo Comite
  • Alba Maria Gallo
  • Francesco Albergo
  • Valentina Beretta

Abstract

This study presents a systematic literature review of articles related to accounting for climate change. By adopting the theoretical lenses of the actor–network theory, this study investigates the primary actors influencing management research on accounting for climate change and how their roles have evolved over time considering major international climate agreements, such as the Paris Agreement and the European Green Deal. Results of this study reveal a shift in research focus from corporate sustainability reporting and voluntary disclosures to broader economic models integrating climate adaptation, risk management, and green finance post‐2015. The findings highlight how the role of dominant actors evolved over time, with increased polarization in the field. Thus, results provide evidence for the reflectivity of global political and economic developments on the evolution of the scientific debate, also in the area under investigation.

Suggested Citation

  • Ubaldo Comite & Alba Maria Gallo & Francesco Albergo & Valentina Beretta, 2025. "Accounting for Climate Change: A Temporal Analysis of the Literature," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 34(7), pages 8213-8236, November.
    • Handle: RePEc:bla:bstrat:v:34:y:2025:i:7:p:8213-8236
    DOI: 10.1002/bse.70014
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://doi.org/10.1002/bse.70014
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1002/bse.70014?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. Donthu, Naveen & Kumar, Satish & Mukherjee, Debmalya & Pandey, Nitesh & Lim, Weng Marc, 2021. "How to conduct a bibliometric analysis: An overview and guidelines," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 133(C), pages 285-296.
    2. Francesca Manes‐Rossi & Giuseppe Nicolo', 2022. "Exploring sustainable development goals reporting practices: From symbolic to substantive approaches—Evidence from the energy sector," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 29(5), pages 1799-1815, September.
    3. Paul A. Griffin & Estelle Y. Sun, 2024. "Climate-Related Financial Risk: Insights from a Semisystematic Review of the Literature and Implications for Financial Reporting," The International Journal of Accounting (TIJA), World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd., vol. 59(02), pages 1-60, June.
    4. Felice Petruzzella & Anastasia Giakoumelou & Vitiana L'Abate & Nicola Raimo & Filippo Vitolla, 2024. "Fostering firm value: Unpacking the effect of circular economy disclosure via social media," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 33(8), pages 7960-7971, December.
    5. Zhangqi, Zhong & Zhuli, Chen & Lingyun, He, 2022. "Technological innovation, industrial structural change and carbon emission transferring via trade-------An agent-based modeling approach," Technovation, Elsevier, vol. 110(C).
    6. Bhavna Thawani & Tushar Panigrahi & Meena Bhatia, 2024. "Eleven years of integrated reporting: a bibliometric analysis," International Journal of Disclosure and Governance, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 21(4), pages 666-684, December.
    7. David Campbell, 2003. "Intra‐ and intersectoral effects in environmental disclosures: evidence for legitimacy theory?," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 12(6), pages 357-371, November.
    8. M.J. Cobo & A.G. López-Herrera & E. Herrera-Viedma & F. Herrera, 2011. "Science mapping software tools: Review, analysis, and cooperative study among tools," Journal of the Association for Information Science & Technology, Association for Information Science & Technology, vol. 62(7), pages 1382-1402, July.
    9. Martina K. Linnenluecke & Jacqueline Birt & Andrew Griffiths & Kathy Walsh, 2015. "The role of accounting in supporting adaptation to climate change," Accounting and Finance, Accounting and Finance Association of Australia and New Zealand, vol. 55(3), pages 607-625, September.
    10. 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.
    11. John Dumay & Cristiana Bernardi & James Guthrie & Paola Demartini, 2016. "Integrated reporting: A structured literature review," Accounting Forum, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 40(3), pages 166-185, September.
    12. repec:bla:devpol:v:27:y:2009:i:6:p:741-765 is not listed on IDEAS
    13. John Dumay, 2014. "Reflections on interdisciplinary accounting research: the state of the art of intellectual capital," Accounting, Auditing & Accountability Journal, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 27(8), pages 1257-1264, October.
    14. Jane Andrew & Corinne Cortese, 2011. "Accounting for climate change and the self-regulation of carbon disclosures," Accounting Forum, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 35(3), pages 130-138, September.
    15. David Talbot & Olivier Boiral, 2018. "GHG Reporting and Impression Management: An Assessment of Sustainability Reports from the Energy Sector," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 147(2), pages 367-383, January.
    16. M.J. Cobo & A.G. López‐Herrera & E. Herrera‐Viedma & F. Herrera, 2011. "Science mapping software tools: Review, analysis, and cooperative study among tools," Journal of the American Society for Information Science and Technology, Association for Information Science & Technology, vol. 62(7), pages 1382-1402, July.
    17. Binh Bui & Charl de Villiers, 2021. "Recovery from Covid‐19 towards a low‐carbon economy: a role for accounting technologies in designing, implementing and assessing stimulus packages," Accounting and Finance, Accounting and Finance Association of Australia and New Zealand, vol. 61(3), pages 4789-4831, September.
    18. Vitolla, Filippo & Raimo, Nicola & Campobasso, Francesco & Giakoumelou, Anastasia, 2023. "Risk disclosure in sustainability reports: Empirical evidence from the energy sector," Utilities Policy, Elsevier, vol. 82(C).
    19. Andrea Liesen & Andreas G. Hoepner & Dennis M. Patten & Frank Figge, 2015. "Does stakeholder pressure influence corporate GHG emissions reporting? Empirical evidence from Europe," Accounting, Auditing & Accountability Journal, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 28(7), pages 1047-1074, September.
    20. Hannah Comtesse & Verena Ertl & Sophie M. C. Hengst & Rita Rosner & Geert E. Smid, 2021. "Ecological Grief as a Response to Environmental Change: A Mental Health Risk or Functional Response?," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(2), pages 1-10, January.
    21. repec:eme:aaaj00:aaaj-01-2015-1939 is not listed on IDEAS
    22. Spence, Laura J. & Rinaldi, Leonardo, 2014. "Governmentality in accounting and accountability: A case study of embedding sustainability in a supply chain," Accounting, Organizations and Society, Elsevier, vol. 39(6), pages 433-452.
    23. Valentina Beretta & Maria Chiara Demartini & Charl de Villiers, 2024. "Integrated reporting: developing an injustice assessment framework and a research agenda," Accounting, Auditing & Accountability Journal, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 38(9), pages 1-29, December.
    24. Christian Fisch & Joern Block, 2018. "Six tips for your (systematic) literature review in business and management research," Management Review Quarterly, Springer, vol. 68(2), pages 103-106, April.
    25. Giuseppe Nicolò & Gianluca Zanellato & Adriana Tiron-Tudor & Paolo Tartaglia Polcini, 2022. "Revealing the corporate contribution to sustainable development goals through integrated reporting: a worldwide perspective," Social Responsibility Journal, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 19(5), pages 829-857, May.
    26. 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.
    27. Jim Skea & Jean-Charles Hourcade & S. Lechtenb�hmer, 2013. "Climate policies in a changing world context: is a paradigm shift needed?," Climate Policy, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 13(sup01), pages 1-4, March.
    28. repec:eme:aaaj00:aaaj-07-2019-4108 is not listed on IDEAS
    29. John Dumay & Tim Dai, 2017. "Integrated thinking as a cultural control?," Meditari Accountancy Research, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 25(4), pages 574-604, October.
    30. Maurizio Massaro & John Dumay & James Guthrie, 2016. "On the shoulders of giants: undertaking a structured literature review in accounting," Accounting, Auditing & Accountability Journal, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 29(5), pages 767-801, June.
    31. 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.
    32. Choi, Bobae & Luo, Le, 2021. "Does the market value greenhouse gas emissions? Evidence from multi-country firm data," The British Accounting Review, Elsevier, vol. 53(1).
    33. Olubunmi Florence Osemene & Paulina Adinnu & Temitope Olamide Fagbemi & Johnson K. Olowookere, 2024. "Corporate Governance and Environmental Accounting Reporting in Selected Quoted African Companies," Global Business Review, International Management Institute, vol. 25(4), pages 1096-1119, August.
    34. Andrea Liesen & Andreas G. Hoepner & Dennis M. Patten & Frank Figge, 2015. "Does stakeholder pressure influence corporate GHG emissions reporting? Empirical evidence from Europe," Accounting, Auditing & Accountability Journal, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 28(7), pages 1047-1074, September.
    35. 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.
    36. Vincenzo Vignieri, 2023. "Active community for climate change: a Dynamic Performance Governance analysis of a biodiversity preservation program," Sustainability Accounting, Management and Policy Journal, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 14(6), pages 1150-1182, June.
    37. Sandra Cohen, 2022. "Debate: Climate change, environmental challenges, sustainable development goals and the relevance of accounting," Public Money & Management, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 42(2), pages 55-56, February.
    38. Aarti Gupta, 2010. "Transparency in Global Environmental Governance: A Coming of Age?," Global Environmental Politics, MIT Press, vol. 10(3), pages 1-9, August.
    39. repec:eme:aaaj00:09513570110389314 is not listed on IDEAS
    40. Andrew, Jane & Cortese, Corinne, 2011. "Accounting for climate change and the self-regulation of carbon disclosures," Accounting forum, Elsevier, vol. 35(3), pages 130-138.
    41. García-Sánchez, Isabel-María & Aibar-Guzmán, Beatriz & Raimo, Nicola & Vitolla, Filippo & Schiuma, Giovanni, 2024. "Climate governance, growth opportunities, and innovation in addressing climate change: Empirical evidence from emerging countries," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 70(C).
    42. Miguel, Faruk & Pedraza, Alvaro & Ruiz-Ortega, Claudia, 2024. "Climate-change regulations: Bank lending and real effects," Journal of Financial Stability, Elsevier, vol. 70(C).
    43. repec:eme:aaaj00:aaaj-12-2013-1547 is not listed on IDEAS
    44. Binh Bui & Carolyn J. Fowler, 2019. "Strategic Responses to Changing Climate Change Policies: The Role Played by Carbon Accounting," Australian Accounting Review, CPA Australia, vol. 29(2), pages 360-375, June.
    45. Daniel Osberghaus, 2017. "Prospect theory, mitigation and adaptation to climate change," Journal of Risk Research, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 20(7), pages 909-930, July.
    46. Ann Marie Sidhu & Jane Gibbon, 2021. "Institutionalisation of weak conceptions of sustainability in the United Nations Clean Development Mechanism: empirical evidence from Malaysian organisations," Accounting, Auditing & Accountability Journal, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 34(5), pages 1220-1245, March.
    47. Carol Ann Tilt, 2001. "The content and disclosure of Australian corporate environmental policies," Accounting, Auditing & Accountability Journal, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 14(2), pages 190-212, May.
    48. Sascha Kraus & Matthias Breier & Weng Marc Lim & Marina Dabić & Satish Kumar & Dominik Kanbach & Debmalya Mukherjee & Vincenzo Corvello & Juan Piñeiro-Chousa & Eric Liguori & Daniel Palacios-Marqués &, 2022. "Literature reviews as independent studies: guidelines for academic practice," Review of Managerial Science, Springer, vol. 16(8), pages 2577-2595, November.
    49. Maria Chiara Demartini & Valentina Beretta, 2022. "Intellectual capital in SMEs: a review and research agenda," International Journal of Learning and Intellectual Capital, Inderscience Enterprises Ltd, vol. 19(1), pages 5-29.
    50. Maurizio Massaro & John Dumay & James Guthrie, 2016. "On the shoulders of giants: undertaking a structured literature review in accounting," Accounting, Auditing & Accountability Journal, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 29(5), pages 767-801, June.
    51. John Dumay, 2014. "Reflections on interdisciplinary accounting research: the state of the art of intellectual capital," Accounting, Auditing & Accountability Journal, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 27(8), pages 1257-1264, October.
    52. Glenn Finau, 2020. "Imagining the Future of Social and Environmental Accounting Research for Pacific Small Island Developing States," Social and Environmental Accountability Journal, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 40(1), pages 42-52, January.
    53. Zahra Borghei & Philomena Leung & James Guthrie, 2018. "Does voluntary greenhouse gas emissions disclosure reduce information asymmetry? Australian evidence," Afro-Asian Journal of Finance and Accounting, Inderscience Enterprises Ltd, vol. 8(2), pages 123-147.
    54. Linh Nguyen Khanh Duong & Vikas Kumar & Qile He, 2025. "Collaboration for the sustainable food supply chain: A bibliometric analysis," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 34(1), pages 1287-1301, January.
    55. repec:eme:aaaj00:aaaj-05-2014-1714 is not listed on IDEAS
    56. Michel Callon, 2009. "Elaborating the notion of performativity," Post-Print hal-00460877, HAL.
    57. Serena Fatica & Roberto Panzica, 2021. "Green bonds as a tool against climate change?," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 30(5), pages 2688-2701, July.
    58. Sandro Brunelli & Camilla Falivena & Chiara Carlino & Francesco Venuti, 2021. "Accountability for climate change: a research synthesis through the lenses of the integrated thinking approach," Meditari Accountancy Research, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 29(4), pages 1005-1038, February.
    59. Huthaifa Al-Hazaima & Mary Low & Umesh Sharma, 2024. "The integration of education for sustainable development into accounting education: stakeholders’ salience perspectives," Journal of Public Budgeting, Accounting & Financial Management, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 37(2), pages 296-328, January.
    60. Sanja Pupovac & Mona Nikidehaghani, 2024. "Sustainable development and First Nations values: a multidimensional accounting approach for mining proposals," Meditari Accountancy Research, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 32(5), pages 1710-1733, February.
    61. Kevin R. Kaushal & Ståle Navrud, 2023. "Accounting for Biodiversity Costs from Climate Change in Integrated Assessment Models," International Review of Environmental and Resource Economics, now publishers, vol. 16(3-4), pages 467-504, January.
    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. Mark Anthony Camilleri, 2026. "Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) Factors for Sustainable Tourism Development: The Way Forward Toward Destination Resilience and Growth," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 35(3), pages 4057-4082, March.

    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. Beretta, Valentina & Cotta Ramusino, Enrico & Demartini, Maria Chiara & Bagna, Emanuel, 2025. "Exploring the intersection of sustainability performance and M&A activity: A review of the literature," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 105(C).
    2. Gabriella D'Amore & Antonio D'Alessio & Alessandro Scaletti, 2025. "Environmental Accounting and Sustainability Accounting: Lexical or Substantial Difference?," Sustainable Development, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 33(S1), pages 1376-1394, November.
    3. Lanzalonga Federico & Chmet Federico & Petrolo Basilio & Brescia Valerio, 2023. "Exploring Diversity Management to Avoid Social Washing and Pinkwashing: Using Bibliometric Analysis to Shape Future Research Directions," Journal of Intercultural Management, Sciendo, vol. 15(1), pages 41-65, March.
    4. Walaa Wahid ElKelish*, 2023. "Accounting for Corporate Human Rights: Literature Review and Future Insights," Australian Accounting Review, CPA Australia, vol. 33(2), pages 203-226, June.
    5. Assunta Di Vaio & Anum Zaffar & Meghna Chhabra & Stefano Coronella, 2025. "Poverty Alleviation Through Accounting and Partnerships: A Systematic Review and Future Research Directions," Sustainable Development, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 33(4), pages 5621-5641, August.
    6. 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.
    7. Yunice Karina Tumewang & Collins G. Ntim & Faizul Haque, 2025. "Task Force on Climate‐Related Financial Disclosures: A Systematic Literature Review and Future Research Agenda," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 34(8), pages 10033-10058, December.
    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. Binh Bui & Muhammad Nurul Houqe & Muhammad Kaleem Zahir-ul-Hassan, 2022. "Moderating effect of carbon accounting systems on strategy and carbon performance: a CDP analysis," Journal of Management Control: Zeitschrift für Planung und Unternehmenssteuerung, Springer, vol. 33(4), pages 483-524, December.
    10. Sandro Brunelli & Camilla Falivena, 2025. "Public Sector Accountability Challenges in Emerging Climate Governance: Seeking Consequentiality Through a Theoretical Common Ground," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 34(7), pages 8321-8333, November.
    11. 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).
    12. Secinaro, Silvana & Lanzalonga, Federico & Oppioli, Michele & de Nuccio, Elbano, 2025. "The effects of disruptive technologies on accountability in fintech industry: Using bibliometric analysis to develop a research agenda," Research in International Business and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 76(C).
    13. David Talbot & Olivier Boiral, 2018. "GHG Reporting and Impression Management: An Assessment of Sustainability Reports from the Energy Sector," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 147(2), pages 367-383, January.
    14. Hema Diwan & Binilkumar Amarayil Sreeraman, 2024. "From financial reporting to ESG reporting: a bibliometric analysis of the evolution in corporate sustainability disclosures," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 26(6), pages 13769-13805, June.
    15. 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.
    16. Annalisa Baldissera, 2023. "Sustainability reporting in banks: History of studies and a conceptual framework for thinking about the future by learning from the past," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 30(5), pages 2385-2405, September.
    17. Rakshith Bhandary & Sandeep S. Shenoy & Ankitha Shetty & Adithya D. Shetty, 2024. "Education loan repayment: a systematic literature review," Journal of Financial Services Marketing, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 29(4), pages 1365-1376, December.
    18. Carrión, Elena & Larrinaga, Carlos & Rigling Gallagher, Deborah, 2025. "Carbon accounting for the translation of net-zero targets into business operations," The British Accounting Review, Elsevier, vol. 57(2).
    19. Haijiao Liu & Jiahui Yu & Boyu Wu & Yanheng Ren & Qing Liu, 2025. "Bibliometric analysis and content analysis of digital entrepreneurship: utilizing the WoS and Scopus databases," Humanities and Social Sciences Communications, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 12(1), pages 1-26, December.
    20. Rainer Kasperzak & Marko Kureljusic & Lucas Reisch & Simon Thies, 2023. "Accounting for Carbon Emissions—Current State of Sustainability Reporting Practice under the GHG Protocol," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(2), pages 1-17, January.

    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:bstrat:v:34:y:2025:i:7:p:8213-8236. 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://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1002/(ISSN)1099-0836 .

    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.