The Clean Energy Revolution

Energy consumption is an indispensable condition for the existence of mankind. Availability of energy accessible for consumption has always been necessary to meet the needs of the individual, to increase the duration and improve the conditions of his life. In the modern world, energy is the basis for the development of basic industries that determine the progress of social production. In all industrialized countries, the pace of energy development has outpaced the development of other industries. A significant part of the energy sector is provided by the consumption of energy released from the burning of fossil fuels - oil, coal and gas.

 ‘Black gold’ is a figured paraphrase of the word ‘oil’. This expression is so often used in everyday conversations, in news, movies, books and of course on the Internet. Oil is really an important and useful resource. Therefore, it is not without reason that, it is associated with the gold. Both oil and gold have great value. Gold - as a financial instrument, oil - as a source of energy. At the same time, both oil and gold find application in industry. Currently, oil consumption is such that stocks of traditional readily available oil are steadily declining. Most of the oil produced in the world is used for the production of various types of fuel and in the electric power industry.

I am an ordinary resident of Kazakhstan, who worries about his future and present. My Kazakhstan is rich in minerals, in the depths of Kazakhstan, 105 elements of the Mendeleev table are revealed, and besides, our country is among the top 15 countries in the world in oil reserves. Possessing 3% of the world's oil reserves, it is not surprising that the oil and gas sector is one of the leading and the main branch of the economy, as well as one of the main energy resources.

My hometown is Kyzylorda, which is located in the southern part of Kazakhstan and the fifth most important oil and gas province in Kazakhstan. However, I'm not sure whether I can be proud of this now? Yes, from the economic point of view it is good, but if we consider it from the ecological point of view it is problematic. Yes, fossil fuels provide us with a valuable service. It is not so problematic that we use it to generate energy, as the reverse side of this process, which is the cause of all problems. The bulk of electricity is currently produced at thermal power plants (TPPs). Further, there are usually hydroelectric power plants (HPPs) and nuclear power plants (NPPs). As a fuel, thermal power plants usually use coal, fuel oil, gas, shale. High thermal and toxic pollution of the environment is typical for TPPs. The fossil fuel combustion is carbon dioxide (CO2), greenhouse gas. A major problem is the utilization of associated and natural gases in the production of hydrocarbons. When, associated gas burns on flares it produces emissions of nitrogen oxides, sulfur dioxide, soot into the atmosphere. Therefore, our city is considered to be environmentally-problematic. All these affect the health of the population. Various substances that pollute the air affect the state of human health differently, causing various diseases. Inhalation of air in which combustion products are present (diluted exhaust of a diesel engine), even for a short time, for example, increase the risk of coronary heart disease. Many babies are born with various heart diseases including my little sister. 

The smog that stands over the city proves that the air is very polluted. This is a very big problem of large cities, which adversely affects human health and besides it, the greenhouse gas is the number one contributing to global warming. It is justified that the combustion of this fuel(oil and gas) is the largest factor that releases greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. The impact of global warming on the environment is very extensive and captures many areas. In Kyzylorda, due to the recent ecology, there is a high temperature in the summer up to 50 degrees Celsius and besides, rare rains lead to drought of land and rivers. In general, the temperature changes mainly affect the health of the population. Recently, the number of patients with very high blood pressure have increased.

 This problem of climate change is not only characteristic to Kyzylorda, but also of the entire globe. In the Arctic and Antarctica, higher temperatures cause melting of glaciers, which leads to an increase in sea level and a change in the composition of the surrounding seawater. The rising sea level will only impede the settlement of people on the coast, agriculture, fishing, and the existence of the resort area. Air pollution is another direct result of the use of fossil fuels, and leads to the formation of smog and degradation of human health, inhibits plant growth. But, there is also a greater threat to the existence of natural ecosystems due to the extraction and consumption of oxbow. Companies that extract and develop oil, coal and natural gas know all these problems. But as long as our renewable energy sources do not become viable enough as major energy suppliers, they will continue to develop fossil fuel deposits to meet our energy needs. That is why, we, in turn, need to introduce an alternative energy sources as quick as possible, which will lead us into the bright future.

If we take Kyzylorda region as an example, the weather in this region is very hot and windy. Therefore, implementing the wind turbines to obtain the energy would be the best solution.Additionally, considering the weather conditions, using the solar power plants could be one of the solutions to this ecological problems. So,If we want to live long and healthy life, we should support the idea of ‘Clean Energy Revolution’.