Environmental Implications on Businesses &Certified Public Accountants

The relationship and overlap between financial and environmental audits has been widely discussed. A number of studies have addressed the relevance of accountants and financial auditors in carrying out environmental audits. The question of the competence of the financial auditor in the environmental area is addressed. An increasingly substantial number of studies have argued that environmental issues have a significant impact on the auditing profession and financial auditors should consider these issues when auditing the financial statements of companies. These studies recommended widening the scope of auditing profession to include environmental issues and its liabilities. The financial auditor¿s concern with environmental issues arises because of the need for appropriate accounting for the financial aspect. Environmental problems may result in contingent losses. Such losses must be appropriately reflected in the financial statements. Stakeholders ask for information about the environmental impacts on business. They need information to be appropriate and credible. The credibility of environmental information can be achieved by conducting the independent audit.