Climate-related events, including extreme weather events and natural disasters and their effects on critical infrastructure in the U.S. or internationally, could have adverse effects on our operations, customers or third-party suppliers. Furthermore, our shareholders, customers and other stakeholders have begun to consider how corporations are addressing sustainability matters, which include environmental and corporate responsibility issues. Government regulators, investors, customers and the general public are increasingly focused on sustainability practices and disclosures, and views on this topic are diverse and rapidly changing. Furthermore, developing and acting on these initiatives, and collecting, measuring and reporting related information and metrics can be costly, difficult and time consuming, and are subject to evolving reporting standards and/or contractual obligations. The standards and laws by which sustainability efforts are tracked and measured are in many cases new, have not been harmonized, and continue to evolve.
We could also face potential negative publicity if shareholders, customers, partners, government entities or other stakeholders determine that we have not adequately considered or addressed sustainability and governance matters or to the extent we are perceived to have not responded appropriately to their concerns or take positions that are contrary to their views or expectations. We have been the recipient of proposals from shareholders to promote their corporate responsibility positions, and we may receive other such proposals in the future. Such proposals may not be in our long-term interests or the interests of our shareholders and may divert management’s and our employees' attention away from operational or other strategic matters or create the impression that our practices are inadequate.