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CNN Live At Daybreak

Fighting Global Warming

Aired January 08, 2004 - 05:36   ET

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


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


CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: And a new report says many species of animals may go the way of the dinosaur unless more is done to fight global warming.
Sharon Collins has more for you.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SHARON COLLINS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Just mention the word extinction and it brings to mind the dinosaurs. Many scientists believe they were wiped out ages ago by a worldwide drop in temperatures.

Well, a new study published in the respected journal "Nature" says predictions of more abrupt climate changes could have the same impact in our lifetimes, between 18 and 35 percent of species wiped out.

LEE HANNAH, CENTER FOR APPLIED BIODIVERSITY CONSERVATION INTERNATIONAL: Along with habitat loss, climate change now stands as one of the major risks to wildlife in the world.

COLLINS: What's new in this study? A team of researchers looked at six biological hot spots, places where unique animal and plant life might already be on the brink, from the rain forests of Costa Rica to the Australian Outback to the Horn of Africa. The few degrees of temperature rise predicted for the next 50 years, the study authors believe, could spell the eventual demise of a million species.

Now while there's some disagreement on how bad the warming will be and how much of it can be blamed on human influences, most researchers say we're in for big changes in our coastlines, polar ice and weather patterns, some beneficial, some potentially ruinous.

HANNAH: We already have evidence that there are species that are responding to climate change, plants and animals that are actually shifting their geographic location to try and find their preferred climate.

COLLINS: The report also embraced a political partial solution, calling for cleaner burning fuels to reduce the rise in temperature. Without it, they say, spaceship earth could lose some very valuable passengers.

Sharon Collins, CNN, Atlanta.

(END VIDEOTAPE) TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com






Aired January 8, 2004 - 05:36   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: And a new report says many species of animals may go the way of the dinosaur unless more is done to fight global warming.
Sharon Collins has more for you.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SHARON COLLINS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Just mention the word extinction and it brings to mind the dinosaurs. Many scientists believe they were wiped out ages ago by a worldwide drop in temperatures.

Well, a new study published in the respected journal "Nature" says predictions of more abrupt climate changes could have the same impact in our lifetimes, between 18 and 35 percent of species wiped out.

LEE HANNAH, CENTER FOR APPLIED BIODIVERSITY CONSERVATION INTERNATIONAL: Along with habitat loss, climate change now stands as one of the major risks to wildlife in the world.

COLLINS: What's new in this study? A team of researchers looked at six biological hot spots, places where unique animal and plant life might already be on the brink, from the rain forests of Costa Rica to the Australian Outback to the Horn of Africa. The few degrees of temperature rise predicted for the next 50 years, the study authors believe, could spell the eventual demise of a million species.

Now while there's some disagreement on how bad the warming will be and how much of it can be blamed on human influences, most researchers say we're in for big changes in our coastlines, polar ice and weather patterns, some beneficial, some potentially ruinous.

HANNAH: We already have evidence that there are species that are responding to climate change, plants and animals that are actually shifting their geographic location to try and find their preferred climate.

COLLINS: The report also embraced a political partial solution, calling for cleaner burning fuels to reduce the rise in temperature. Without it, they say, spaceship earth could lose some very valuable passengers.

Sharon Collins, CNN, Atlanta.

(END VIDEOTAPE) TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com