Conservation and social-ecological systems in the 21st century of the Anthropocene era

La conservació és un concepte «esmunyedís» que es pot interpretar de moltes maneres. Aquest assaig revisa alguns enfocaments històrics de la conservació i les seves romàntiques (fins i tot, patriòtiques) connotacions equitatives inicials equitables amb la preservació, segons proposaren els filòsofs i els naturalistes nord-americans del segle xviii. També presenta la perspectiva oposada, defensada en la mateixa època pels filòsofs europeus, consistent a reconèixer que el món real no és el mateix per a tota l'eternitat, sinó que és dinàmic i producte de la societat, la indústria i l'Estat. En el context del segle xxi, es tracten els fonaments científics, socials i ètics de l'era antropocènica i els objectius i els nivells espacials de la conservació, com també les connexions entre la conservació, la sostenibilitat i l'equitat econòmica. L'assaig explora dues opcions per a fer front a la conservació de la natura a l'Antropocè. En primer lloc, el punt de vista sostingut pel moviment de l'«ecologia profunda », i en segon, el representat pel Projecte Millennium d'Avaluació dels Ecosistemes. Hi ha una visió personal de prioritats sobre què cal conservar, i on i com fer-ho. Es tracten aspectes com la sostenibilitat ecològica i social i la conservació dels recursos marins a llarg termini a Xile considerant-los com a exemple d'un enfocament modern i comprensiu de conservació. Finalment, l'assaig se centra en la manera com el professor Ramon Margalef (1993) va visualitzar la complexa interacció entre els éssers humans i la natura i com els elements centrals d'aquest assaig continuen estant en consonància amb els seus punts de vista.Conservation is a ‘slippery’ concept that can be interpreted in many different ways. This essay reviews historical approaches to conservation and its romantic (even patriotic), initially equitable connotation of preservation, as proposed by 18th century North American philosophers and naturalists. The opposing view is presented as well, i.e., that the real world is not the same for eternity but dynamic, and the product of the interaction of society, industry and the state, as proposed by European philosophers around the same time. In the context of the Anthropocene era of the 21st century and based on scientific, societal and ethical grounds, the aims and spatial scales of conservation are discussed, as are the connections between conservation, sustainability, and economic equity. Two options to deal with the conservation of nature in the Anthropocene are explored herein. First, the view held by the ‘deep ecology’ movement, and second, that represented by the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment project. A personal view on the priorities of what, where, and how to conserve is presented. The long-term social-ecological sustainability and conservation of coastal marine resources in Chile is discussed as an example of a modern and comprehensive approach to conservation. Finally, this essay calls attention to Professor Ramon Margalef (1993), specifically, his visualization of the complex interplay among humans and nature, which is very much in line with the views of the author

Tragédia dos recursos de uso comum e ética ambiental individual responsável frente ao aquecimento global

The tragedy of the commons (overexploitation, pollution) is a metaphor well anchored in the literature. The air is a common pool resource and private property does not exist. The global warming of the planet, caused by excess greenhouse gas emissions (CO2, NO2, methane), generated by human activities and consuming society, which are stored in the high atmosphere causing climatic changes, is today a tragedy. We live in a new Era, that of the Antrophocene. Monocentric solutions to this tragedy: top-down —for instance the Kyoto Protocol of 1997— have failed. The article highlights the urgent need to implement polycentric solutions to face the tragedy: bottom-up, individual and collective actions in concurrence with top-down strategies. This needs to be based in the installation of a new environmental responsible ethic, for instance based in the individual responsible Kutz ethic principle. For this is needed to promote, as soon as possible, a postmodern environmental science, with credibility and a true democratization of knowledge. Moreover, there is a need for environmental alphabetization of our society based on hard knowledge about climatic changes and global warming, in all dimensions: negative, positive, new opportunities. The use of massive communication tools may be the key to achieve the goal.La tragedia de los recursos de uso común (sobreexplotación, contaminación) es una metáfora bien acuñada en la literatura. El aire es un recurso de uso común, sobre el que no existe propiedad privada. El problema del calentamiento global, derivado del exceso de gases de efecto invernadero (CO2, NO2, metano), generados por actividades humanas y el excesivo consumismo, y que se almacenan en la alta atmósfera causando cambios climáticos, es hoy una tragedia. Vivimos una nueva Era llamada del Antropoceno. Las soluciones monocéntricas globales a esta tragedia, de arriba hacia abajo —por ejemplo, Protocolo de Kyoto, de 1997— han fracasado. El artículo destaca la necesidad urgente de comenzar a usar soluciones estratégicas policéntricas —de abajo hacia arriba—, acciones individuales y colectivas, en conjunto con las globales, para enfrentar la tragedia. Ello debe basarse en la instalación masiva de una nueva ética ambiental responsable, basada, por ejemplo, en el principio ético de responsabilidad individual de Kutz. Para ello se necesita poner en acción una ciencia ambiental posmoderna, creíble, con una democratización del conocimiento, y alfabetizar a la sociedad en forma simple y directa sobre la información dura del cambio climático en todas sus dimensiones: negativas, positivas y de nuevas oportunidades. Los medios de comunicación social masivos pueden ser la clave para lograr este objetivo.A tragédia dos recursos de uso comum (superexploração, contaminação) é uma metáfora bem cunhada na literatura. O ar é um recurso de uso comum, sobre o qual não existe propriedade privada. O problema do aquecimento global derivado do excesso de gases de efeito estufa (CO2, NO2, metano), gerados por atividades humanas e o excessivo consumismo, que se armazenam na alta atmosfera causando mudanças climáticas, é hoje uma tragédia. Vivemos uma nova Era chamada de Antropoceno. As soluções monocêntricas globais a esta tragédia, de cima para baixo - por exemplo, Protocolo de Kyoto de 1997 - fracassaram. O artigo destaca a necessidade urgente de começar a usar soluções estratégicas policêntricas - de baixo para cima -, ações individuais e coletivas, em conjunto com as globais, para enfrentar a tragédia. Isso tem que basear-se na instalação massiva de uma nova ética ambiental responsável por exemplo, baseada no princípio ético de responsabilidade individual de Kutz. Para isso se necessita por em acção uma ciência ambiental pós-moderna, crível, com uma democratização do conhecimento, e alfabetizar a sociedade de forma simples e direta sobre a informação dura da mudança climática em todas suas dimensões: negativas, positivas, novas oportunidades. Os meios de comunicação social massivos podem ser a chave para lograr este objetivo

Geometric Objects: A Quality Index to Electromagnetic Energy Transfer Performance in Sustainable Smart Buildings

Sustainable smart buildings play an essential role in terms of more efficient energy. However, these buildings as electric loads are affected by an important distortion in the current and voltage waveforms caused by the increasing proliferation of nonlinear electronic devices. Overall, buildings all around the world consume a significant amount of energy, which is about one-third of the total primary energy resources. Optimization of the power transfer process of such amount of energy is a crucial issue that needs specific tools to integrate energy-efficient behaviour throughout the grid. When nonlinear loads are present, new capable ways of thinking are needed to consider the effects of harmonics and related power components. In this manner, technology innovations are necessary to update the power factor concept to a generalized total or a true one, where different power components involved in it calculation, properly reflect each harmonic interaction. This work addresses an innovative theory that applies the Poynting Vector philosophy via Geometric Algebra to the electromagnetic energy transfer process providing a physical foundation. In this framework, it is possible to analyse and detect the nature of disturbing loads in the exponential growth of new globalized buildings and architectures in our era. This new insight is based on the concept of geometric objects with different dimension: vector, bivector, trivector, multivector. Within this paper, these objects are correlated with the electromagnetic quantities responsible for the energy flow supplied to the most common loads in sustainable smart buildings. Besides, it must be considered that these phenomena are characterized by a quality index multivector appropriate even for detecting harmonic sources. A numerical example is used to illustrate the clear capabilities of the suggested index when it applies to industrial loads for optimization of energy control systems and enhance comfort management in smart sustainable buildings

Continuous harmonic analysis and power quality measurements in three-phase systems

A virtual instrument, named Power Quality Meter, is presented for (a) measuring power consumption and harmonics in three-phase systems, under non-sinusoidal and imbalance conditions (b) detecting, classifying and organizes power disturbance events. Measurement of the power consumption follows the formulation proposed by the members of the IEEE Working Group on Nonsinusoidal Situations (1996). So, definitions are based on the analysis of functions in the frequency domain, separating the fundamental terms from the harmonic terms of the Fourier series. The virtual instrument has been developed too for monitoring and measuring power disturbances, which are automatically classified and organized in a database while they are being recorded. Software tools use the database structure to present summaries of power disturbances and locate an event by severity or time of occurrence. Records of actual measurements are included to demonstrate the versatility of the instrument

An Approach to the Multivectorial Apparent Power in Terms of a Generalized Poynting Multivector

The purpose of this paper is to explain an exact derivation of apparent power in n-sinusoidal operation founded on electromagnetic theory, until now unexplained by simple mathematical models. The aim is to explore a new tool for a rigorous mathematical and physical analysis of the power equation from the Poynting Vector (PV) concept. A powerful mathematical structure is necessary and Geometric Algebra offers such a characteristic. In this sense, PV has been reformulated from a new Multivectorial Euclidean Vector Space structure (CGn-R3) to obtain a Generalized Poynting Multivector ( ~ S). Consequently, from ~ S, a suitable multivectorial form ( ~ P and ~D) of the Poynting Vector corresponds to each component of apparent power. In particular, this framework is essential for the clari¯cation of the connection between a Complementary Poynting Multivector (~D) and the power contribution due to cross-frequency products. A simple application example is presented as an illustration of the proposed power multivector analysis

Energy conservation law in industrial architecture: an approach through geometric algebra

This article belongs to the Special Issue Symmetry in Systems Design and AnalysisSince 1892, the electrical engineering scientific community has been seeking a power theory for interpreting the power flow within electric networks under non-sinusoidal conditions. Although many power theories have been proposed regarding non-sinusoidal operation, an adequate solution is yet to be found. Using the framework based on complex algebra in non-sinusoidal circuit analysis (frequency domain), the verification of the energy conservation law is only possible in sinusoidal situations. In this case, reactive energy turns out to be proportional to the energy difference between the average electric and magnetic energies stored in the loads and its cancellation is mathematically trivial. However, in industrial architecture, apparent power definition of electric loads (non-sinusoidal conditions) is inconsistent with the energy conservation law. Up until now, in the classical complex algebra approach, this goal is only valid in the case of purely resistive loads. Thus, in this paper, a new circuit analysis approach using geometric algebra is used to develop the most general proof of energy conservation in industrial building loads. In terms of geometric objects, this powerful tool calculates the voltage, current, and apparent power in electrical systems in non-sinusoidal, linear/nonlinear situations. In contrast to the traditional method developed by Steinmetz, the suggested powerful tool extends the concept of phasor to multivector-phasors and is performed in a new Generalized Complex Geometric Algebra structure (CGn), where Gn is the Clifford algebra in n-dimensional real space and C is the complex vector space. To conclude, a numerical example illustrates the clear advantages of the approach suggested in this paper

Propuesta para la implementación de una entidad certificadora local para la administración de pensiones y régimen de prima media Colpensiones.

Este trabajo describe la creación de una entidad certificadora CA que permite generar certificados digitales para realizar publicaciones de páginas web mediante protocolo https. Se muestran también los tipos de aseguramiento empleados en la maquina y el entorno usados en la construcción de dicha entidad.This work describes the creation of a certifying entity (CA) that allows digital certificates to be generated to publish web pages using the https protocol. The types of hardening used in the machine and the environment made in the construction of the entity are also shown