Symmetry and the thermodynamics of currents in open quantum systems

Symmetry is a powerful concept in physics, and its recent application to understand nonequilibrium behavior is providing deep insights and groundbreaking exact results. Here we show how to harness symmetry to control transport and statistics in open quantum systems. Such control is enabled by a first-order-type dynamic phase transition in current statistics and the associated coexistence of different transport channels (or nonequilibrium steady states) classified by symmetry. Microreversibility then ensues, via the Gallavotti-Cohen fluctuation theorem, a twin dynamic phase transition for rare current fluctuations. Interestingly, the symmetry present in the initial state is spontaneously broken at the fluctuating level, where the quantum system selects the symmetry sector that maximally facilitates a given fluctuation. We illustrate these results in a qubit network model motivated by the problem of coherent energy harvesting in photosynthetic complexes, and introduce the concept of a symmetry-controlled quantum thermal switch, suggesting symmetry-based design strategies for quantum devices with controllable transport properties.Comment: 12 pages, 6 figure

Challenges of Pastoralism and Rangelands in Europe

High Human Development achievements across Europe explain the situation of pastoralism in the region. While its economic importance has dwindled over the last century in terms of livelihood provision, pastoralism is nonetheless key for supporting rural population - especially in the areas of lower agricultural potential - and for delivering ecosystem services in vast areas. The mainstreaming of scientific research means that pastoralism is increasingly recognized as a sustainable livelihood by the European general public. In spite of this better press, the advanced average age of European pastoralists and the increased gender imbalances pose great sustainability risks in the short- to medium-term. Some pastoralism-shaped ecosystems such as the Southern Finland pastures have already collapsed. Negative climate change narratives around pastoralism are triggering climate action plans that threaten extensive, highly biodiverse pastoralism landscapes in various countries, such as the British highlands. The process of agricultural intensification and rural abandonment in Europe poses other threats, such as poor service delivery and increasing human-wildlife conflicts, notably with disease-carrying forest species such as the wild boar or some predators that are experiencing a comeback. For pastoralism to survive in Europe, the holistic role of pastoralism in ecosystem conservation as a whole should be recognized. This includes changes in the Common Agricultural Policy, especially at the national level of implementation (also eco-schemes, rural development interventions), to incorporate payments for ecosystem services that eliminate the competitive disadvantage with more intensive production systems. Encouraging urban, young people to become pastoralists, as well as promoting preventive measures for human-wildlife-conflict, rather than compensatory ones, are also urgent and necessary steps. Knowledge gaps still persist that hinder effective policy and advocacy action. Better understanding will come from effective collection of national and continental statistics related specifically to rangelands and pastoralists; improved integration of traditional ecological knowledge into policy and land management at a continental scale; and building on the history of how pastoralism has shaped and maintained European natural landscapes. Landscapes in Europe are not as dominated by forests as the general public and most of academia usually believe.Peer reviewe

Hacia una regulación estatutaria del Tribunal Supremo

Este trabajo constituye una ponencia presentada en una reunión de Presidentes de Cortes de Casación española e hispaniamericanas en octubre de 1995, sin que al mismo se haya añadido ninguna modificación ni actualización. COnsejo Gneral del Poder Judicia

Making way: Developing national legal and policy frameworks for pastoral mobility

Mobility is a vital strategy employed by pastoralists to capitalize on the scarce availability of resources in variable environments, making pastoralism economically feasible and environmentally sustainable. Through mobility, pastoralists can produce animal-sourced products that provide food and income security to populations in the world’s rangelands. Such a practice also provides a range of benefits to the environment while fostering the capacity to adapt to changing social and natural environments. With a few exceptions, policies have largely not kept up with new scholarship and development discourse that acknowledges the importance of mobility to pastoralism. There is a lag in and resistance to legislating in favor of mobility. The overall objective of this handbook is to guide the development of legal and policy frameworks for securing mobility for various pastoral production systems and practices. This handbook calls for the legal recognition and securing of pastoral mobility as a way of safeguarding and facilitating a continuous stream of economic and social benefits for pastoralists, countries, and the environment. It facilitates a deeper understanding of pastoral mobility through examples and case studies drawn from various parts of the world and identifies considerations to be borne in mind when legislating for mobility.Peer reviewe

Políticas de sostenibilidad del ecoturismo: una visión económica

The analysis of tourism in the economy implies a continuous development of theories on which this social tendency can be explained. Faced with a continuous interrelation between tourist actors, the diagnosis of their behavior in the face of causes and effects generated in a tourist destination, demands a considerable consideration to be explained and allow the establishment of a political framework that promotes a cooperative development among them. The present article analyzes these interrelationships within sustainable ecotourism activity, through the application of Game Theory (Neumann & Morgenstern, 1944), considering the Nash equilibrium criterion (Nash, 1950), where the behavioral analysis between The host and the tourist allows to outline certain parameters for the development of policies to pursue a cooperative work among them, promoting sustainability in order to predict an adequate production of ecotourism, taking as a case study the Galapagos Islands in ecuadorian territory; concluding that the best interrelation involves a balanced work between the host and the tourist's view of using the resources of a destination for the practice of ecotourism in a sustainable way, and based on this criterion, the policies to be designed must follow the standards and regulations to a global benefit whose purpose allows the economic improvement of the resident population and an address to the responsible tourist.El análisis del turismo en la economía implica un continuo desarrollo de teorías sobre las cuales esta tendencia social puede ser explicada. Frente a una continua interrelación entre actores turísticos, el diagnosticar su comportamiento frente a causas y efectos generados en un destino turístico, demanda una notable consideración de ser explicado y permitir el establecimiento de un marco político que impulse a un desarrollo cooperativo entre ellos. El presente artículo analiza estas interrelaciones dentro de la actividad ecoturística sostenible, por medio de la aplicación de la Teoría de los Juegos (Neumann & Morgenstern, 1944) considerando el criterio de equilibrio de Nash (Nash, 1950), donde el análisis del comportamiento entre el anfitrión y el turista permite delinear ciertos parámetros para el planteamiento de políticas que persigan un trabajo cooperativista entre ellos, fomentando la sostenibilidad para augurar una adecuada producción del ecoturismo, tomando como caso de estudio las Islas Galápagos en territorio ecuatoriano; concluyendo que la mejor interrelación comprende un trabajo equilibrado entre la visión del anfitrión y el turista en utilizar los recursos de un destino para la práctica del ecoturismo de manera sostenible, y en base a este criterio, las políticas a diseñar deben perseguir el acatar normas y reglamentos entorno a un beneficio global cuyo fin permita el mejoramiento económico de la población residente y un direccionamiento hacia el turista responsable. &nbsp

Considering Natural Baselines When Calculating Livestock Impacts Point to a Negligible Role of Grass-Fed Livestock Systems in Climate Change

ISBN: 978-9966-30-094-2The use of baselines is common in a variety of academic disciplines, including environmental science, but they are subjected to relativity depending on the geographical or historical reference considered. Such considerations are illustrated by how invasive species are evaluated or what reference baselines are considered in biodiversity assessments. The measurement of livestock effects on climate change has, however, disregarded the use of baselines. Current methodology is based exclusively on greenhouse gas emissions by individual animals, without putting them in their ecological context. As a consequence, current analyses of livestock impacts put grass-fed ruminant systems in the spotlight, because of their high methane emissions. Conversion into intensive, grain-fed chicken and pork systems is recommended to cope with increased meat demand, an approach that is being echoed by media. In this study we reviewed existing literature on baseline greenhouse gas emissions by wild ruminants, with models available for North America and northern Russia. We also considered the potential of termites in filling herbivore niches in an ungulate-free scenario and reviewed the literature for possible consequences of ensuing wildfires. We found consistent evidence for natural baseline scenarios to be of the same order of magnitude as current livestock scenarios. This implies that the current policy recommendations for tackling climate change through the livestock sector are likely to be much less effective than currently thought. Other studies on livestock environmental impacts, such as for water or biodiversity, have also not taken into account natural baseline levels from wild herbivores, hence depicting an exaggerated negative image on grass-fed livestock. Policy recommendations should take baseline levels into account, concentrate on reducing intensive use of fossil fuel and focus on double-win strategies for methane emission reduction, such as the use of manure-fed biogas cooking stoves. This paper uses concepts originally developed at Manzano & White (2019).Peer reviewe

Women’s Empowerment for Demographic Issues and Conflicts in African Pastoralist Societies

Widespread conflict is a recurring issue in African pastoralist societies. While its roots are debated, there is a missing link with prevailing poverty among communities and particularly among women. We here apply a gender perspective to establish a hypothesis on the role of women in pastoralist conflicts. The existing polygynic system establishes a violent frame for pastoralist women, who would be sold at increasingly early ages to provide in turn enough resources for furnishing the dowry needed by their brothers. The control on them would thereby be transferred from their own families to their husband and his family, where they have also to endure competition for resources with other wives. Survival strategies are linked with fertility, as a higher offspring allow women a higher access to power and resources. This has, however, negative individual consequences in terms of personal health and workload, as well as a higher collective burden on reduced per-capita income and increased poverty. The latter is more severe for women, having restricted access to resources and decision-making. Delivery of formal education is particularly weak among pastoralist societies. It is, however, an empowerment tool that contributes to higher well-being across the community. Firstly, it allows economic diversification and establishment of independent income sources. And secondly, it provides women with the tools to decide on their reproductive health that have consequences on poverty - both at controlling fertility and increasing investment in children’s education. ICT brings here a further possibility to access information not subjected to the control of men in their family, potentially being an important empowerment tool for women and thereby a tool for conflict mitigation or resolution.Peer reviewe

Intensifying pastoralism may not reduce greenhouse gas emissions : wildlife-dominated landscape scenarios as a baseline in life cycle analysis

The general public is increasingly critical of extensive, ruminant-dominated systems for their attributed high greenhouse gas emissions. However, advocates of low input, grass-fed systems present them as paradigmatic sustainable production systems because of their biodiversity, land use, rural development and animal welfare benefits. We reconcile both analyses by proposing to assess baseline emissions in grazed ecosystems. We show that policies aiming at transitioning grass-fed systems towards fodder-based (concentrate- or grain-based) systems can be ineffective at reducing emissions because wild ruminants or termites fill livestock's ecological niche. Climate change policies targeting livestock should carefully evaluate derived emissions scenarios.Peer reviewe