Global Warming and the Pipeline Industry

As a blogger on our website, my knowledge base covers a wide range of products associated with the pipeline industry. But when we sell our products to end-users, do we have a responsibility to offer the most energy-efficient solution to them; and should we be pressing them to consider the consequences of choosing the price over efficiency? We all play a part in the increased use of energy and the resources of our planet; and whether you believe in global warming or not, we should consider that natural resources are finite and the most efficient use of them is in all our interests.

To help you understand where my writing comes from, here is some information about me, Steve Tate. I’m well over fifty years old at this point and believe myself to be of average intelligence, I don’t have a university education. We all have a niche we fit into in our working lives and I was lucky to find mine in the pipeline industry at the age of 21. I am happily married finally; this did take several attempts because it is hard to know who you are when you’re younger. Making lifelong commitments at a young age is fraught with problems. But due to earlier commitments, I count myself lucky to have three wonderful children and now five grandchildren.

For the above reasons I believe that every one of us has a responsibility to our planet and we may not all be activists. But we are all involved and for this reason, I do believe that as an industry, we have a responsibility to offer the right solutions to our customers. Global warming is on the news daily and the vast majority of us do our bit at home to recycle wherever possible. Here in Ashton-under-Lyne, we have four coloured domestic bins; green, blue, black and brown, and we all know what goes where.

What many of us don’t do is take that mentality to work with us, in our case if we sell a valve to a customer. Do we consider whether the product is the best long-term solution to that customer’s needs? Most of the time the person buying the product does not consider whether it meets a long-term solution. What is foremost in their minds is the price of the product. The starting point should be, why am I replacing this valve, pipe or fitting? Is there a failure in my system that necessitates the replacement of the product and if so, how can I prevent the same happening again?

Just consider the amount of energy used to manufacture each product and then ask the salesperson whether there is a better solution. Can I buy a product that will last a great deal longer than the original version? Will another solution increase the longevity of the original kit? If we all choose wisely in the future and put the reduction of Global Warming before economic advantage. We can all make a real difference for future generations who will inhabit our much-abused world. In my case, I’m not an activist, but the reality of the future for my grandchildren is my responsibility.

For those that consider global warming as a myth or like President Trump considers it as “not my responsibility”. I return to the words that what we have won’t last forever, our resources are finite and therefore should be used accordingly. In the meantime we also need to consider the options we have in front of us, every solution we manufacture has a consequence to our environment. If we fill our hills with wind farms, they to come at a cost. Firstly to manufacture a tower with great sails, uses the same natural resources to produce it and enormous amounts of energy.

If we are going to use that energy to produce the solution, we need to ensure that pumping carbon dioxide into the atmosphere is not one of the consequences. Or at least do all we can to reduce the amount of CO2 that finds its way there. I believe Richard Branson set a challenge on carbon capture technology to the scientific world, he wanted to see technology that would remove a billion tonnes of CO2 per year. Since then science has tabled the solutions but the technology is expensive, and economics can’t be the arbiter where the greater good is at stake.

In the longer term, carbon capture will become less expensive, for now, it is the responsibility of governments; to ensure businesses have the right tools to help save the world we live in. Climate change and global warming is a conversation that is happening every day. Because people hear it so often the impact it has on our collective consciousness becomes numbed. We hear about and know the causes of global warming, but what we don’t always hear are sensible solutions to solve it. For that reason, it should be in all our minds to look at what difference we can make individually.

As a pipeline supplier, I believe our business can be part of the solution, not every product we offer is a green solution as that is not always possible. But what we offer to our customer base should be a sustainable solution and not a short-term fix. Our sales team here at ValvesTubesFittings.com are awash with product knowledge; and if you tell us what the problem is, we can find the right solution. In the end, we are tied to give our customers what they have asked for, but on most occasions; we can offer better outcomes if we are given the opportunity.

The moral of this blog is the simple truth that we are all responsible for the world we live in. Each time we make a purchase there is a consequence to our actions, for instance, buying cheap processed food is bad for our health. That same food is produced in often inefficient manufacturing facilities; whose production methods waste huge amounts of energy. So as well as having little to no nutritional benefit to the person eating it, the same product wastes our resources.

So next time so many of us dismiss climate change and Global Warming as scaremongering, just consider what you are leaving behind for the generations to come. Although you may not be around to see what comes after; it won’t change the fact that future generations will look back in history and say why didn’t you do more. Will the generations to come look back on world leaders like Donald Trump as the criminals of the past? Thank you for taking the time to read this latest piece and I hope that you took something from this.