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American Morning

Huge Toxic Cloud Over South Asia

Aired August 13, 2002 - 09:30   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

PAULA ZAHN, CNN ANCHOR: Wait until you hear this one. It's something that is going to really affect, or potentially affect, our weather patterns here. There's this huge toxic cloud, two miles thick, over South Asia, and it's doing a lot more harm than just obscuring a view of the Taj Mahal. A United Nations report says the Asian brown cloud may be causing the premature deaths of a half million people, and causing deadly flooding in the region every year.
Science correspondent Ann Kellan has more from our CNN Center.

Boy, Ann, this is scary one. Good morning.

ANN KELLAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It is. It is a thick brown cloud. It's covering parts of Asia. And as you mentioned, it is having an impact on everything from health to agriculture. That report was put together by 100 scientists working with the United Nations environment program. They have basically issued a warning that conditions could get worse if changes aren't made.

Now what we do have is satellite views of that so-called brown cloud. They were released by NASA. Now you can see the dense haze from the satellite. Looking at it, just imagine how it's impacting the weather there. Some of the sun's rays are blocked from earth. That impacts crops, with less heat hitting the ocean. It has an impact on the amount of evaporation, which reduces cloud formation and rain.

The particulates in the air have actually changed the size of raindrops, so the monsoon season has been affected. Scientists are seeing an increase of rain on the east coast of Asia, and a sharp drop in rain over northwest parts of Asia.

So what's causing the pollution? Well, according to scientists: forest fires, the burning of agricultural wastes. And, here's the biggie: a dramatic increase in the burning of fossil fuels from automobiles, industries, power stations. Also, millions in China cook with coal and wood-burning cookers. They emit pollution into the air. And the people are seeing and feeling the impact. One writer who visited Beijing says he went out for a jog, he got a sore throat immediately and his phlegm turned black.

Now According to the report, this brown cloud is an environmental hazard, obviously. If emissions aren't controlled, it will only get worse. The cloud does move. It disperses around half way around the globe in about a week. So we do get some of its impact, but not that much, not as much as things out there. Other parts of Asia are also seeing changes in the weather. According to the report, haze may reduce rain over northwest India, Pakistan, Afghanistan and western China by as much as 20 to 40 percent. And they're also seeing in droughts in Pakistan and northwest India, while flooding is occurring in Bangladesh, Nepal, northeastern states with India.

So it's something that has to change. But when and how, we will have to wait and see how they do that.

ZAHN: That's the most important question you posed here, because you say, that made it very clear that unless they control the emissions, this isn't going to change.

KELLAN: And the problem...

ZAHN: So do you have -- or does anybody have any faith that anybody will put teeth into this report and inspire something to happen?

KELLAN: I think the people are seeing and feeling the impact. So they are actually responding, and I think the governments there are saying, we have to do something. Emissions controls in the cars has -- is one they can handle it, and the cooking, obviously all the cooking is another way. We'll see. They are taking it seriously.

ZAHN: Paula: you say the cloud on the move, but the full force of it is not going to hit the United States.

KELLAN: Not that the scientists are saying.

ZAHN: Well, that's something to be relieved about, I guess. Thanks, Ann. Appreciate it.

KELLAN: You're welcome.

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