The International Auditing and Assurance Standards Board has published a consultation paper seeking views on a new assurance standard it is developing for greenhouse gas emission reporting.

Arnold Schilder

“Having reliable information is key to global efforts to reduce emissions and stabilize the level of carbon in the atmosphere,” said IAASB Chairman Arnold Schilder in a statement.

The IAASB, which operates under the auspices of the International Federation of Accountants, is aiming to enhance the credibility of greenhouse gas reporting as more countries develop carbon emissions trading schemes.

The consultation paper, entitled “Assurance on a Greenhouse Gas Statement,” asks a series of questions about the form of assurance report that users would find most useful; the nature and extent of the requirements; how a standard should best integrate with regulatory requirements; and the technical aspects of applying the assurance process to greenhouse gas emissions.

The IAASB intends to use the feedback to develop an exposure draft of a proposed new assurance standard on greenhouse gas emission statements for release in 2010.

The paper is available at www.ifac.org/Guidance/EXD-Outstanding.php. Comments are due Feb. 19, 2010. Respondents are asked to send their comments electronically using the "Submit a Comment" link on the Exposure Drafts and Consultation Papers page on the IFAC site. Comments can also be e-mailed to edcomments@ifac.org, faxed to the attention of the IAASB Technical Director at (212) 856-9420, or mailed to IFAC, 545 Fifth Avenue, 14th Floor, New York, N.Y. 10017. All comments will be considered a matter of public record and will ultimately be posted on the IFAC site.