environmental accounting design - Covenant University Repository

PREFACE
A great challenge facing most parts of the world and particularly the developing countries
is the systematic destruction of the environment. Through continued crude method of farming,
felling of trees and bush burning and non-sustaining fishing methods without replacement of
the natural resources, local farmers have destroyed the biodiversity. Industrial emissions have
contributed in greater dimension to the atmosphere and climate change and effluent pollution
to land degradation process. The practice of accounting has need to provide for accounting for
impact on externalities through costing of usage of depleting natural resources, need to factor
into financial statements emissions into atmosphere and discharge of pollution on land. The
well being of human society should be paramount in corporate internal management decision
rather than only great corporate profits if this comes at the cost of large scale degradation of the
ecosystem by which we are nourished.
In the light of the background of increasing environmental attention, this study has
explored an assessment of environmental accounting in the oil & gas as well as the
manufacturing sectors known to have degraded the Niger Delta in Nigeria. This study is
expected to facilitate effective and efficient costs measurement and reporting for corporate
decision making. The study consists of the introduction in chapter one, which identifies among
others the problem, objectives, significance and scope of the study as well as operational
definition of terms. Chapter two dwells on literature review of environmental accounting
issues, environmental theories and conceptual framework. Chapter three defines the
methodology covering research design, population of study, sampling technique, description
and measurement of the variables. Chapter four consists of data analyses, data presentations,
design and bases of environmental cost accounting. The fifth and final chapter presents and
discuses the summary of findings of study the study, recommendations, contribution to
knowledge and conclusions.
John A. Enahoro
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