Carbon credits are literally going up in smoke as wildfires threaten their sustainability

Firefighters in Northern California work to contain the Park Fire. (Credit: Stephen Lam—San Francisco Chronicle/Getty Images)

One of the biggest forest fires in California’s history has burned through nearly 430,000 acres, putting at risk millions of carbon credits that offset greenhouse gasses. 

The Park Fire, which began in Northern California in late July, has destroyed close to 45,000 acres of forests for the state’s carbon offset program, according to the nonprofit climate tracker CarbonPlan.