Abstract

North America (NA) provides a unique and dynamic landscape for environmental accounting research (EAR), particularly with respect to Canada and the United States of America. NA sustains a variety of ecosystems, terrain, climate, and cultural diversity, all potentially influenced by climate change. In a region plagued with an ever-growing carbon footprint, a focus on unyielding growth and consumption, continuously increasing income inequality, and a portion of the population which formally denies the existence of climate change altogether, research on environmental accounting is distinctive. NA EAR examines various industries and topics, with oil and gas and disclosure emerging as dominate themes. Additionally, researchers employ numerous theoretical lenses, with an inclination toward legitimacy theory. In this chapter, we outline the long history of EAR within NA, describe many unresolved issues, and discuss limitations and possible avenues for future work.