IASB guidance issued on climate uncertainties for IFRS standard
A consultation document, proposing eight examples to illustrate how companies apply IFRS Accounting Standards when reporting the effects of climate-related and other uncertainties in their financial statements, has been published by the International Accounting Standards Board (IASB).
The move is in response to strong demand from stakeholders, particularly from investors, who expressed concerns that information about climate-related uncertainties in financial statements was sometimes insufficient or appeared to be inconsistent with information provided outside the financial statements.
The IASB’s proposed examples aim to improve transparency of information in financial statements and strengthen the connection between financial statements and other parts of a company’s reporting, such as sustainability disclosures.
The eight illustrative examples focus on areas such as materiality judgements, disclosures about assumptions and estimation uncertainties, and disaggregation of information. The IASB said the principles and requirements illustrated in these examples apply equally to other types of uncertainties beyond climate-related uncertainties.
In developing these examples, the IASB collaborated with members of the International Sustainability Standards Board (ISSB) and its technical staff, ensuring that the illustrative examples work with the ISSB’s sustainability-related disclosure requirements.
Andreas Barckow, chair of the IASB, said: “Investors have clearly communicated that they factor climate-related risks into their decision-making process. Although our accounting standards already address such risks, we have identified a need for illustrative examples to improve the application of these requirements. Our proposed examples aim to provide this clarity, helping companies better communicate in their financial statements how climate-related and other uncertainties affect their financial position and performance.”
He added: “The illustrative examples do not add to or change the requirements in IFRS Accounting Standards. Instead, they provide guidance on how the requirements in the Standards should be applied to provide investors with better information about climate-related risks and other uncertainties.”
