When you think about the tools at our disposal to address the ecological, social and biodiversity challenges we face today, accounting might not immediately come to mind. And yet it is accounting standards, not science and not public policy, that set out how profit is calculated, which in turn drives investment decisions. What if we demanded that those standards reflect the true cost of business and its consequences? Unless we look again at these fundamental principles, which have gone under the radar for so long, capital markets will continue to contribute to inequality, nature loss and climate change. What’s remarkable is that we already have in place everything we need for a more just and complete approach to accounting, and forward-thinking businesses are beginning to recognize that. Jeremy Nicholls – accountant, sustainability professional, historian and activist – sets out a vision for new way of accounting, and it’s one that we can adopt immediately. 'This book is not just about numbers, it is about justice, fairness, and the possibility of creating an economy that values well-being as much as profit. It is also a great read with great stories. I am proud to call Jeremy a colleague, a friend, and now a great writer. I cannot recommend this book highly enough.' - Durreen Shahnaz, Founder and CEO, Impact Investment Exchange (IIX) 'A clever and insightful narrative, with real potential to enact change.' - Helen Slinger, Executive Director, Accounting for Sustainability 'I’m not an accountant but there is something for everyone in this book. It is a call to positive arms and gave me hope in a world that has started to look pretty bleak. Jeremy makes this achievable and relatively straight forward.' - Emma Smith, Project Manager, Empowered Conversations, Age UK 'This is a must read for anyone interested in the philosophical and practical dimensions of accounting and its role in shaping organizational and societal outcomes. The book challenges readers to reconsider assumptions that could align accounting with indigenous cultural values and long-term goals.' - Hon. John Tamihere, CEO, Te Whānau O Waipareira 'With rigorous methodological transparency, a detailed and practical reform agenda and explicit integration, and differentiation, from current international reform efforts, The Accounting Paradox has strong potential to influence scholarship and practice in sustainable accounting, ensuring maximum policy impact.' - Éliane Ubalijoro CEO, CIFOR-ICRAF and Director-General, ICRAF In today’s ecological, social, and biodiversity crises, accounting rarely makes the list. But it should. Our system of accounting standards and regulation defines how profit is calculated. Some costs are included; others are excluded and left to society. Unless we re-examine this system, which has long operated beneath public awareness, capital markets will continue to fuel inequality, nature loss, and climate breakdown. We already have in place everything we need for a more just and complete approach to accounting, and forward-thinking businesses are beginning to recognize that. This book is a detective story, a history, and a manifesto for change. But it is also deeply human. Changing the way we account could unlock what’s best in us: our creativity, kindness, and ability to build a future worth living in. Jeremy Nicholls ― accountant, sustainability professional, and activist ― offers a radical but practical vision for new accounting. One we can start using now. 'The course correct we need for the twenty- first century.’ - Ben Carpenter, CEO, Social Value International Jeremy Nicholls has spent his career addressing inequality, arguing that one of the fundamental causes is how the accounting system calculates profit/ He became an accountant to support the Sandinistas in Nicaragua, training with PwC. He spent four years as a house parent before starting a regeneration consultancy in Liverpool and then co-founding and becoming CEO of Social Value International (SVI), a global community of social accountants with a mission to change the way the world accounts for value. He left to spend time as the assurance framework lead for the UNDP’s SDG Impact Standards, designed to support organizations seeking to maximise their contribution to sustainability before returning as an advisor. He is an Ashoka fellow, a honorary research fellow at the University of Liverpool, a member of Accounting for Sustainability's expert panel and ICAEWs non financial assurance committee and an ambassador for the Capitals Coalition. He has researched and written widely in the field of impact accounting, including regular contributions to Pioneers Post.