Indias climate change takes a toll on the dragonflies, says report (GS Paper 3, Environment)
Why in news?
- The dragonflies and damselflies have started laying eggs before the onset of winter, which will put them in hibernation, according to a survey of the odonata species.
- Recent erratic rainfall has caused them to misinterpret the weather and thereby alter their life cycle.
Key Findings:
- The survey has found only 25 of the recorded 47 species from the Zoological Survey of India 1997, which is the base figure.
- The survey has found that the maximum number of individual odonates in the Kalindi Biodiversity Park to be about 3,348 from 12 species. The Tughlaqabad Biodiversity Park has reported 81 odonates from seven species.
Impact on characteristics:
- The report also observed that due to the higher water temperatures, the larvae developed more quickly. And, this has led to developing shorter wings compared to their body size.
- As the relative wing size decreases, they will experience a higher wing load, making them less dispersal. Hence, it will affect their ability to move around and predate harmful pests, including mosquitos.
- The report also states that dragonflies generally have a short life span of about a few weeks only. So, the unfavourable conditions they face can reduce their chances of successful reproduction and also cause direct mortality.
Bio-indicator:
- Due to the deficit monsoon in 2021, the number of dragonflies and damselflies has dwindled.
- Since these insects require stable oxygen levels and clean water, scientists consider them as reliable bioindicators of the health of an ecosystem.
- They play a significant role in controlling the insect population, especially mosquitoes and agricultural pests. A single dragonfly can reportedly eat 30-100 mosquitoes per day.
- The dwindling odonates can also affect their predators. These are birds like Heron and Shikra, which feed on the dragonflies.
Shift in habitat:
- One particular dragonfly, which was abundant in the Yamuna Biodiversity Park and commonly called picture wing has shifted its habitat to the Aravalli Biodiversity Park.
- Aravalli has recorded 555 dragonflies from 12 species.
Irregular surveys:
- An exercise to assess species diversity and density of dragonflies and damselflies this year was undertaken in all the seven biodiversity parks recently.
- The survey of odonateshasn’t been conducted regularly over the years.
- A previous such attempt was made in 2018 by three biodiversity parks namely, Yamuna, NeelaHauz and Tilpath Valley. From there, 25, nine and five species were found, respectively.
India-UN Partnership in Action
(GS Paper 2, International Organisation)
Why in news?
- In his message to a special India@75' event on Showcasing the India-UN Partnership in Action', the UN chief underlined that as home to the largest youth generation in history, India will be decisive in the success of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
- It was held on the margins of the high-level 77th UN General Assembly session.
- The event was organised by the Government of India and the United Nations to highlight India's partnership with the UN, its South-South Cooperation, its development journey and achievements in the 75th year of its independence.
Excerpts from speech by UN Chief:
- Over the last 75 years India has achieved remarkable progress in equitable and sustainable development, lifting over 270 million people out of extreme poverty and rising to become the world's fifth largest economy.
- Transformations and food systems, sustainable energy, connectivity and health are going to be the key opportunities for deepening the partnership.
- As a founding member of the United Nations,India strongly supports the purposes and principles of the UN.
- India's deepening engagement with the United Nations is based on its steadfast commitment to multilateralism and dialogue as the key for achieving shared goals and addressing common challenges.
India-UN Development Partnership Fund:
- The India-UN Development Partnership Fund is the first-ever single-country South-South cooperation initiative at the UN.
- Launched in June 2017, this USD 150 million Fund supports South-owned and South-led demand-driven sustainable development projects with a focus on LDCs, LLDCs and SIDS.
- The dedicated facility is managed by the United Nations Office for South-South Cooperation (UNOSSC). In the last five years, the Fund has accumulated a portfolio of 66 projects in 51 countries.
- From supporting a project to get ready a Convention Centre in Palau to host Ocean Conference, to rehabilitating hospitals in Antigua & Barbuda and Guyana, to building a school in Dominica, an Information Technology Centre of Excellence in Papua New Guinea to developing the capacity of women to stem desertification in the Kanem and Lake Chad regions, this Fund is directly impacting the lives of communities across the developing world.
Leadership in Climate Change:
- An important aspect of India's leadership in climate action is converting domestic action into an international collaboration.
- India is helping ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all' through its initiatives like International Solar Alliance (ISA), which was formed at CoP21 in 2015 in Paris.
- Over the years, ISA has helped ensure energy security and sustainable livelihoods by providing poor communities in developing countries access to natural, economic, human, and social capital.
- ISA was accorded multilateral treaty status by the UN in December 2017, and now has over 100 members.
- At CoP26 in 2021, India and the UK announced the One Sun One World One Grid initiative, the first international network of global interconnected solar power grids which will combine large-scale solar power stations, wind farms and grids with rooftop solar and community grids towards a reliable, resilient and affordable supply of clean energy.
- India is also the founder member of the Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI) which is a partnership of national governments, UN agencies and programmes that aim to promote the rapid development of resilient infrastructure to respond to the Sustainable Development Goals' imperatives of expanding universal access to basic services, enabling prosperity and decent work.
US, South Korea begin first combined naval exercise
(GS Paper 2, International Relation)
Why in news?
- Recently, the South Korea and the United States began their first combined naval exercise near the peninsula in five years, a day after North Korea conducted a ballistic missile launch.
- South Korea’s current President has vowed to beef up joint military exercises with the United States, after years of failed diplomacy with North Korea under his predecessor.
Key Highlights:
- USA is South Korea’s key security ally and stations about 28,500 troops in South Korea to protect it from the nuclear-armed North.
- The four-day exercise on South Korea’s east coast will involve more than 20 vessels and an assortment of aircraft, which will conduct drills on anti-ship and anti-submarine warfare operations, tactical maneuvers and other maritime operations.
Moves by North Korea:
- North Korea is under multiple sets of international sanctions over its programmes to develop nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles.
- South Koreahad also detected signs the North was preparing to fire a Submarine Launched Ballistic Missile (SLBM), a weapon it last tested in May.
- Earlier, the North revised its nuclear law, enshrining a “first strike” doctrine and vowing never to give up its nukes.
- The allies have long carried out joint exercises, which they insist are purely defensive. North Korea, however, sees them as rehearsals for an invasion.
Background:
- In August, the United States and South Korea staged their biggest combined military drills since 2018 — the resumption of large-scale training sessions that had been scaled back due to Covid-19 and the period of diplomacy with North Korea.
Vaccine-resistant new COVID-like virus discovered in Russian bats
(GS Paper 3, Science and Tech)
Why in news?
- A newS-CoV-2-like virus discovered in Russian bats is capable of infecting humans, and is resistant to current vaccines against COVID-19.
Details:
- A team led by researchers at Washington State University (WSU), US, found spike proteins from the bat virus, named Khosta-2, can infect human cells and is resistant to both the antibody therapies and blood serum from people vaccinated forS-CoV-2.
- A virus uses the spike protein to enter and infect the human cells.
- Both Khosta-2 andS- CoV-2 belong to the same sub-category of coronaviruses known as sarbecoviruses.
Universal vaccine for sarbecoviruses:
- The research demonstrates that sarbecoviruses circulating in wildlife outside of Asia, even in places like western Russia where the Khosta-2 virus was found also pose a threat to global health and ongoing vaccine campaigns againstS-CoV-2.
- The finding highlights the need to develop universal vaccines to protect against sarbecoviruses in general, rather than just against known variants of S-CoV-2.
Threat to human:
- While hundreds of sarbecoviruseshave been discovered in recent years, predominantly in bats in Asia, the majority are not capable of infecting human cells.
- The Khosta-1 and Khosta-2 viruses were discovered in Russian bats in late 2020, and it initially appeared they were not a threat to humans.
