As a Texan, I generally take pride in the old saying “everything is bigger in Texas,” but here is something that makes me sad. Bloomberg reported that
“Texas fires released roughly 3.4 million metric ton of carbon dioxide in January and February, according to a new analysis. In January, Texas fires pumped out 440,400 tons of CO2 emissions, according to Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service data … February saw even more fire activity, including the Smokehouse Creek Fire, the state’s largest fire on record. It and other blazes across the state, emitted a staggering 2.9 million tons of CO2 emissions in February, or roughly 28% of US fire-driven carbon emissions.”
This is yet another painful lesson in the fragility of nature-based offsets and the importance of contingency planning. Of course, you need to identify potentially-applicable risks before developing contingency plans. Climate risks are among the most broad and complex risk categories. If you aren’t sure where to start – or if you want to benchmark your climate risk profile against a reference – our checklist Identifying and Updating Climate Risks and Uncertainties is for you. For access to the checklist and other resources like it, sign up for a PracticalESG.com membership. If you aren’t a member, take advantage of a trial and our no-risk “100-Day Promise” – during the first 100 days as an activated member, you may cancel for any reason and receive a full refund.
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