Declining general economic, business or industry conditions and inflation may have a material adverse effect on our results of operations, cash flows and financial position.
Concerns over global economic conditions, global health threats, supply chain disruptions, increased demand, labor shortages associated with a fully employed U.S. labor force, geopolitical issues, inflation, the availability and cost of credit and the United States financial markets and other factors have contributed to increased economic uncertainty. Although inflation in the United States had been relatively low for many years, there was a significant increase in inflation beginning in the second half of 2021, with a general decline beginning in the second half of 2022. Average inflation for the year ended December 31, 2023 was 3.4%. Though we incorporate inflation escalators in most of our long-term customer contracts, contractual provisions providing for inflation escalators in certain contracts are subject to caps, which may limit the amount of any single pricing increase, and may also vary as to the commencement date of such increases and the timing and calculation of the applicable adjustment. As a result, inflation may outpace the revenue adjustments provided by those provisions. Our customers may also experience supply chain constraints and inflationary pressure on their cost structures, which could impact the revenues we receive from them. Our customers also may face shortages of equipment, raw materials, supplies, commodities, labor and services, which may prevent them from executing their development plans on or around our land. These supply chain constraints and inflationary pressures may continue to adversely impact our customers’ operating costs and, if they are unable to manage their supply chain, it may impact their ability to procure materials and equipment in a timely and cost-effective manner, if at all, which could materially and adversely affect the revenues received in respect of our customers’ operations on or around our land.
In addition, increased hostilities related to the Russia-Ukraine war, as well as the Israel-Hamas conflict and increased tensions in the Middle East, including Iran, and the occurrence or threat of terrorist attacks in the United States or other countries could adversely affect the global economy. These and other factors, such as declining business and consumer confidence, may contribute to an economic slowdown and a recession. Recent concerns about global economic growth have had a significant adverse impact on global financial markets and commodity prices. If the economic climate in the United States or abroad deteriorates, worldwide demand for oil and natural gas products could diminish, which could impact operations on or around our land, affect the ability of our customers to continue operations and ultimately adversely impact our results of operations, cash flows and financial position.
We may be subject to claims for personal injury and property damage, catastrophic events, and those related to contamination resulting from our customers’ operations, which could materially and adversely affect our results of operations, cash flows and financial position.
Our customers will be subject to all of the hazards and operating risks associated with their operations, which include oil and natural gas drilling, completion and production activities, sand mining, production and distribution of brackish water, water handling, waste disposal, construction and operation of non-hazardous oilfield reclamation and solid waste facilities, fuel stations, battery and/or solar facilities, and any other operations that may occur on our acreage. These hazards may include the risk of fire, explosions, blowouts, seismic events, surface cratering, uncontrollable flows of crude oil, natural gas, NGLs and produced water, pipe or pipeline failures, abnormally pressured formations, casing collapses and environmental hazards such as crude oil and NGL spills, natural gas leaks and ruptures or discharges of toxic gases, release of hazardous materials into the environment, and worker health and safety issues. The occurrence of any of these events could result in substantial losses to our customers due to injury or loss of life, severe damage to or destruction of property, natural resources and equipment, pollution or other environmental damage, clean-up responsibilities, regulatory investigations and penalties, suspension of operations and repairs required to resume operations.
In addition, litigation arising from operations on our acreage may cause us to be named as a defendant in lawsuits asserting potentially large claims, including claims for defense, indemnity, and exemplary damages. We generally seek indemnity from our customers for liabilities arising from their operations on our land, and we
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