• APDIM is a regional institution of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP).

Highlights of the report:

• The report identified four main sand and dust storm corridors of Asia-Pacific: ‘east and northeast Asia’, ‘south and southwest Asia’, ‘central Asia’ and the ‘Pacific’.
• The region is the second-largest emitter of mineral dust.
  • Sand and dust storms are a transboundary meteorological hazard.

• More than 500 million people in India and more than 80 per cent of the populations of Turkmenistan, Pakistan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Iran are exposed to medium and high levels of poor air quality due to sand and dust storms. 
• Sand and dust storms contribute significantly to poor air quality in Karachi, Lahore and Delhi in ‘southwest Asia’.
• Nearly 60 million people in these places experienced more than 170 dusty days a year in 2019.
• The situation is much worse for six million residents of eight cities across the region. 3 in China, 2 in Iran, 2 in Pakistan and 1 in Uzbekistan.

• These places had unhealthy concentrations of particulate matterin the air every day for at least ten months in 2019.

• India, China and Pakistan lost 1584 gigawatt-hours (gWh), 679 gWh and 555 gHw of energy loss, resepctively, due to sand and dust storms in 2019.

• These losses amounted to over $107 million (Rs 782 crore) for India per year and exceed $46 million and $37 million for China and Pakistan respectively.

• Dust deposition impacted large portions of farmland in Turkmenistan (71 per cent), Pakistan (49 per cent) and Uzbekistan (44 per cent).

• It significantly to the gross domestic product and foreign exchange earnings in these countries.

• Much of this dust is characterized by high salt content, making it toxic for plants. It reduces yield, posing a significant threat to the production of irrigated cotton and other crops.

• Very high dust deposition also occurs in the Himalaya-Hindu Kush Mountain range and the Tibetan Plateau.

• They are the sources for fresh water for more than 1.3 billion people in Asia.

• The deposition of dust on glaciers induces a warming effect, increasing the melting of ice, with direct and indirect impacts on society through numerous issues, including food security, energy production, agriculture, water stress and flood regimes.
• Sand and dust storms directly affect 11 of the 17 United Nations-mandated sustainable development goals (SDG):

• Ending poverty in all forms
• Ending hunger
• Good health and well-being
• Safe water and sanitation
• Affordable and clean energy
• Decent work and economic growth
• Industry innovation and infrastructure
• Sustainable cities and communities
• Climate action
• Life below water

• The risk of impacts from sand and dust storms is projected to increase in the 2030s due to more extreme drought conditions in parts of Western Australia, south-easternTurkey, Iran and Afghanistan.
• Managing the risks associated with sand and dust storms would also become necessary in parts of northern and southern Thailand, south-eastern China, northern Malaysia and southeastern most Australia.

• The impacts of dust storms are not all negative. They can increase the nutrient content in the areas of deposition and benefit vegetation.
• Dust deposited on water bodies can alter their chemical characteristics, triggering both positive as well as adverse outcomes.
• Dust particles that carry iron can enrich parts of oceans, improving the phytoplankton balance and impacting marine food webs.

Indian Naval Aviation:

• Naval Aviation came into being with acquisition of the first Sealand aircraft on January 13, 1951 and the commissioning of INS Garuda, the first Naval Air Station, on May 11, 1953.
• Presently, Naval Aviation boasts of nine air stations and three naval air enclaves along the Indian coastline and in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
• Navy has more than 250 aircraft comprising carrier-borne fighters, maritime reconnaissance aircraft, helicopters and remotely piloted aircraft (RPA).

• Snow leopard (Panther unica): State animal
• Black-necked crane (Grus nicricollis): State bird

• Both are endangered species.

Snow leopard:

• The snow leopard is one of the most elusive big cat species found in high, remote mountainous regions of Central Asia.
• The elegant and well-camouflaged snow leopard is one of the world’s most elusive cats.

• Their fur keeps them well insulated in cold weather - it can be 5cm long on their back and sides and almost 12cm long on their belly.
• Snow leopards' tails are 80-105cm long, they’re thought to aid balance and they also wrap them around themselves for added warmth.
• Snow leopards' wide, fur-covered feet act as natural snowshoes - helping distribute their weight over soft snow and protecting them from the cold.
• Unlike other big cats, snow leopards can't roar. Snow leopards have a 'main' call described as a 'piercing yowl' that's so loud it can be heard over the roar of a river.
• Snow leopards are solitary creatures, and skillful predators, able to kill prey up to three times their own weight in challenging terrain.

• Spread across 12 countries in central Asia.

• China, Bhutan, Nepal, India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Russia, and Mongolia

• Snow leopards have evolved to live in some of the harshest conditions on Earth.
• Snow leopards live at high altitudes, usually at elevations of 3,000-4,500m.
• They prefer steep, broken terrain like cliffs, rocky outcrops and ravines.
• Having short forelimbs and long hind legs help keep them agile in their steep and rugged environment.

• Poaching and retaliatory killing

• Listed as “vulnerable” in the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List.

Black-necked crane:

• Black-necked cranes are iconic birds of the Tibetan Plateau, and are of great spiritual and cultural significance to Tibetan Buddhism as well as are integral to the landscape’s biophysical ecosystem.

• Adults – red crown, head and neck are black, except for small light grey spot extending backward from yellow eye, ashy gray body feathers, black wings, tail and legs.
• Juveniles – black and gray body plumage, cinnamon-brown head.

• Breeding range includes the Himalayan mountains, parts of central China and northern India.
• Wintering range includes parts of southern China and Bhutan.

• Habitat loss and degradation related to climate change, changes in agriculture practices, pollution and environmental contamination.

• Listed as “Near Threatened” on the IUCN Red List.
• Listed in Appendix I of CITES. Listed in Schedule I of Wildlife (Protection) Act 1972.

Key Facts:

• The bird is revered by the community of Monpas (major Buddhist ethnic group of Arunachal Pradesh) as an embodiment of the sixth Dalai Lama.
• Black-necked crane, only found in Ladakh’s Changthang region, was the State bird of J&K before August 5, 2019.

Highlights:

• This was announced at his speech at 'Pranab Mukherjee Memorial Lecture' to mark the first death anniversary of the former president.
• Theme of the lecture: 'Constitutionalism: The Guarantor of Democracy and Inclusive Growth'.
• A people’s movement to influence the conduct of 5000 MPs, MLAs and MLCs in law-making bodies to make a difference.

Atlas:

• The is the most comprehensive review of mortality and economic losses from weather, water and climate extremes ever produced.
• It surveys some 11,000 disasters occurring between 1979-2019.

Highlights:

• The number of disasters has increased nearly fivefold from 1970s to 2019, with frequent occurrences of extreme weather events due to global warming.

• The growing frequency is attributed to both climate change and improved disaster reporting.

• Costs from the events have surged from $175.4 billion in 1970s to $1.38 trillion in 2010s.
• The annual death toll has fallen from more than 50,000 in 1970s to around 18,000 in the 2010s, suggesting better disaster preparedness.

• Improved multi-hazard early warning systemshave led to a significant reduction in mortality.

• More than 91% of the 2 million deaths occurred were reported from developing countries.
  • Only half of the WMO's 193 members have multi-hazard early warning systems.
• Ethiopia's 1983 drought was the single most fatal event with 300,000 deaths.
• Hurricane Katrina in 2005 that was the costliest, with losses of $163.61 billion.

Impacts in Asia:

• In Asia, 3454 disasters were recorded from 1970–2019, with 975622 lives lost and $ 1.2 trillion in reported economic damages.
• Asia accounts for nearly one third (31%) of weather, climate and water-related disasters reported globally.
• It accounted for nearly half of deaths (47%) and one third (31%) of associated economic losses.
• Most of these disasters were associated with floods (45%) and storms (36%).

• Storms had the highest impacts on lives lost.
• Floods led to the greatest economic losses.

Significance:

• The report would help governments to develop policies to better protect people.

• WMO is an intergovernmental organization originated from the International Meteorological Organization (IMO).
• Established by: Ratification of the WMO Convention on 23 March 1950.
• It is a specialized agency of the United Nations responsible for promoting international cooperation on:

• Atmospheric science
• Climatology
• Hydrology
• Geophysics

• It facilitates the "free and unrestricted" exchange of data, information, and research between the respective meteorological and hydrological institutions of its members.
• It collaborates with non-governmental partners and other international organizations on matters related to environmental protection, climate change, resource management, and socioeconomic development.
• Members: 193 Member States and Territories
• Headquarters: Geneva

• It is a Multi Nation exercise being held at Nizhniy, Russia.
• Countries from Eurasian and South Asian Region will participate in this signature event.
• The NAGA Battalion group participating in the exercise, will feature an all Arms combined task force.

ZAPAD

• ZAPAD 2021 is one of the theatre level exercises of Russian Armed Forces and will focus primarily on operations against terrorists.
• Aim: To enhance military and strategic ties amongst the participating nations.

Highlights of the report:

• The world has 58,497 tree species.

• Neotropics(Central and South America) have the largest number of tree species with 23,631 tree species.
• Indo-Malaya is second with 13,739 species and Afrotropics have 9,237 species.
• Nearctic and Oceania have the lowest number of tree species.

• 142 of the world’s tree species have become extinct and 29.9% are threatened.

• Madagascar is one of the countries with the highest number of threatened trees.

• After Indo-Malaya and Oceania, the Afrotropics (Africa south of the Sahara, including Madagascar) have the highest proportion of threatened tree species.
• Palearctic and Nearctic (North America) realms mostly have tree species that are not threatened.
• 18 per cent or 469 of India’s 2603 tree species are threatened with extinction.

• India is home to 650 endemic tree species not found anywhere else.
• India is a part of Indo-Malaya(Tropical Asia) biogeographic realm.

Major threats faced by trees:

• Agriculture (29%) > logging (27%) > livestock farming > residential and commercial development > fire and fire suppression > energy production and mining > wood and pulp plantations > invasive and other problematic species > climate change.

• World Heritage Institute of Training and Research – Asia Pacific has recognised CEPT University’s Programme as a ’Commended Case’ of Global Innovation on World Heritage Education.
• WHITRAP is an organisation under the World Heritage Centre, UNESCO.
• Mission: To strengthen implementation of World Heritage Convention in the Asia and the Pacific region.
• This would be done by capacity building of professionals and bodies involved with World Heritage site inscription, protection, conservation and management in the Asia and Pacific region, through training, research, dissemination of information and network building.

• An underwater volcano eruption of Fukutoku-Okanoba volcano in the Pacific Ocean is posing risk to the passage of planes and ships.
• Fukutoku-Okanoba volcano is a submarine volcano situated about 25 metres below the sea.
• It is a part of the Volcano Islands in the Bonin Islands of Japan, located 5 kilometres northeast of the island of South Iwo Jima.