Guest editorial: Climate change accounting, reporting and accountability by governments, not-for-profit organisations and charities – Is climate equity approach a way forward?

Purpose: The purpose of this editorial is twofold. Firstly, to extend our understanding of climate accounting, reporting and accountability - one of the most notable wicked problems facing contemporary societies. Next, to emphasise the need for integrating the concept of ‘Climate Equity Approach’ within 'Social Equity Budgeting (SEB)'. Design/methodology/approach: Climate governance and accountability mechanisms have continued to emphasise supply-side reporting and managerial control. We have highlighted ongoing discussions on social equity budgeting and, in so doing, emphasised the need for introducing a climate equity approach. Findings: The summary of the accepted papers shows achievements made and the challenges experienced in climate change accounting, reporting and accountability across countries and sectors. However, what is common to these papers is perhaps their emphasis on the need for identifying effective mechanisms and institutional settings for climate accounting, reporting and accountability by governments, not-for-profit organisations and charities. Originality/value: Although the literature has discussed different variants of SEB, rarely have scholars attempted to contextualise SEB within the climate context. The paper extends the scope of SEB, proposing ‘climate equity approach’, which we argue will help design climate accounting, reporting and accountability by integrating climate justice.