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China`s Population Shrinks For The First Time Since The 1960s; Egg Prices Soar. Aired 4-4:10a ET
Aired January 19, 2023 - 04:00:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
COY WIRE, CNN 10 ANCHOR: Hello, everyone. Welcome to CNN 10 and happy Friday Eve. It`s your boy Coy.
And the challenge words from your #YourWordWednesday were awesome, and this week ends with an OUS. It means beautiful. So, see if you can catch it.
All right. We got a rendezvous with the news starting now and we begin in China, the most populated country on the planet. But for the first time in
years, it recorded a population decline the last time deaths outnumbered births in China was during a great famine in 1961.
A huge population has enabled China to produce a huge cost competitive workforce catapulting their economy`s growth and this current population
decline though is happening at the same time China saw its worst annual economic performance in half a century, and it`s despite the government
encouraging people to have more children.
So, what could this mean for the global superpower?
Well, China`s elderly population currently makes up a fifth of its 1.4 billion people, with the number expanding to 280 million. And over the next
several decades the number of people aged 65 and above is projected to surpass China`s working age population and that would mean further
impending troubles potentially for China`s economy and their ability to grow.
More now from CNN international correspondent Marc Stewart on what else this could mean for China and the global economy.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MARC STEWART, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: The headline is significant. China`s population shrank last year, the first time this has
happened in more than 60 years, a decline of about 850,000 people.
Let`s break this down and look at some of the reasons why.
First, priorities are changing. We`re getting married later and some young people are not having children at all. In addition, Beijing held a
controversial one-child policy until 2015, but it was relaxed because of concerns about the population. In 2021, three children were then allowed,
and a plan was released to strengthen maternity leave and to offer tax deductions.
In addition to all of this, the cost of living in China is high, so is education. And then there`s just general economic uncertainty, that can all
impact decision making.
So, what are the takeaways from this?
The United Nations is predicting India will surpass China to become the most populated country this year. And then there are the economic
implications. This means an aging workforce without a pipeline into the future that could impact productivity and in turn economic success.
Chinese leader Xi Jinping has raised these demographic challenges saying boosting birth rates and addressing the cost of raising a child will be
part of future policy.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WIRE: Ten-second trivia:
Which of these words comes from a Latin term meaning bird?
Auto, aerial, avian, or able?
Avian is your answer here. It can be traced all the way back to a Latin word avis meaning bird.
Did you know there`s currently an egg shortage and now the prices of eggs are no yolk? One of the culprits is an outbreak of the avian flu, a virus
mostly affecting birds.
According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the average price for a dozen eggs in California is more than seven bucks. It was just $2.35 a year
ago.
And one of my CNN teammates Maya in New York City, she spent $12 on a dozen eggs yesterday. That`s a dollar per egg y`all.
At these prices, I`m not sure those omelettes are all they`re cracked up to be.
Here`s CNN business and politics correspondent Vanessa Yurkevich who tells us exactly what`s causing the shortage and these super high prices.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
VANESSA YURKEVICH, CNN BUSINESS AND POLITICS CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In chilly Palmer, Alaska, the demand for chickens and their eggs is heating
up.
DOON DYER, OWNER, POLARIS FARM: I was already sold out even before the egg shortage. I was - I was selling everything I had.
YURKEVICH: If you`ve been to the grocery store recently, you may have noticed fewer eggs and higher prices, up about 11 percent last month on
average from November, up nearly 60 percent in the last year. $11.49 for a dozen eggs in New York, $10.99 in Hawaii.
SHANTEL ROLDAN, MANOA, HI RESIDENT: I think it`s ridiculous for it to be that much.
YURKEVICH: The highly pathogenic avian influenza, or avian flu, is largely to blame. Nearly 58 million birds and climbing have died across 47 states
in the last year, a result of the deadly virus. Wild birds can carry the disease and spread it to domestic flocks when they migrate.
CHELSEA CARRIGAN, OWNER, RED BARN FARM: One wild bird coming into their chicken run and the next thing you know, 10 birds, 20 birds, 30 birds,
they`re just dropping dead.
YURKEVICH: Some states now recommending that all poultry be maintained indoors. Poultry and bird shows, canceled. And biosecurity around chickens,
strictly enforced.
SARAH SCHNEIDER, OWNER, EGG SHOP: The avian flu is serious.
YURKEVICH: Egg Shop, with two cafes in New York City, is struggling with prices on their main ingredient. The fall migration of wild birds sent
avian flu cases spiking again.
SCHNEIDER: We go through 7,000 to 9,000 eggs a week. So, it`s a significant amount of eggs. And in the last couple weeks they`ve jumped as
high as 60 percent.
YURKEVICH: How have you been able to absorb the high price increases of eggs?
SCHNEIDER: Unfortunately, we have raised all of our prices about 10 percent on our menu items.
YURKEVICH: For some, the increased cost is too much. Baked after Dark bakery in Nebraska will close its doors this weekend.
STACEY JOHNSON, OWNER, BAKED AFTER DARK: I think about what our family could afford to pay for a cookie. I take that into consideration. We can`t
charge $5 a cookie.
YURKEVICH: The ripple effect goes beyond restaurants and bakeries. Take a look around the grocery store. Items that use eggs, like mayonnaise, are up
11.8 percent in the last year.
ANGELO PULEO, SUPERVISOR, MORTON WILLIAMS SUPERMARKETS: From the flu to the increases in inflation, all combined together with the shortage, it is
the perfect storm.
VERA NEWHOUSE, NYC SHOPPER: And I definitely have seen the prices shoot up recently.
YURKEVICH: Does that stop you from making the purchase?
NEWHOUSE: No, not at all.
I`m just buying things to make a chicken cutlet. And you need eggs as the basis for that too. It`s one of the reasons why there`s no way not to
purchase them.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WIRE: Up next, we`re headed to Australia where every year in the Great Barrier Reef, corals spawn following a full moon. This is crucial because
scientists said that rising temperatures have led to bleaching, and more than percent of the reefs surveyed last year. Coral that was once vibrant
with pulchritudinous colors they`re now colorless. Well, that does not mean though that the coral is dead just yet and a new technique just might bring
the beauty back.
Let`s head down under the waves Down Under to learn more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SUBTITLE: For the past three years, researchers have used the annual spawning to test a restoration method called "coral seeding".
CATHIE PAGE, AUSTRALIAN INSTITUTE OF MARINE SCIENCE: Coral spawning is the once in a year opportunity to replenish. So, it`s a really valuable time
for the reef but also a really important time for us to do our research.
We allow coral lobby to settle onto 3D printed structures that we then deploy to the reef, and it`s an opportunity for us to boost the number of
very young corals on the reef and potentially boost rates of recovery on those reefs in the future.
They have some protective features that might stop fish from biting them or algae from over growing them or sediment from settling on them.
SUBTITLE: So far, the technique has exceeded expectations.
PAGE: We`re building year on year on our research in this area, trialing different designs one year and then building on those in the next.
SUBTITLE: The scientists seeded hundreds of corals during the reef`s 2022 mass spawning.
They hope their research will help restore reefs in Australia and eventually worldwide.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WIRE: And today`s story getting a 10 out of 10, a mirrored mirage and a camouflaged crib in Joshua Tree National Park. They call it the invisible
house, 5,000 square feet of sleek design, mirrored on all sides blending into the topography like a chameleon, by reflecting the desert landscape
and skies almost playing tricks on your eyes.
But the inside, look at this, look at these views. From almost every single room in the house, absolutely stunning. And that`s not all, there`s a
swimming pool inside that`s 100 feet long. The invisible house has been a popular rental for lots of celebrities but now this southern California
home can be all yours for a cool $18 million.
Speaking of California, let`s stay right there for our shout out today. Truckee High School in Truckee, California, we see you. And we hope you and
everyone watching around the world can be a reflection of all that`s beautiful or pulchritudinous in this world.
I`m Coy. This is CNN 10, and I`ll see you tomorrow.
END
