This is a book symposium on Kevin Krein’s Philosophy and Nature Sports. Gunnar Breivik, Jim Parry and Irena Martínková, and Rebekah Humphreys provide critical commentary on the text. The critical comments are followed by a response from Krein. The discussion covers a broad range of topics. These include the definition of “sport,” comparisons between nature sports and friluftsliv, the role of risk in nature sports, the experience of flow and the sublime in nature sports, and the understanding of nature. Krein (...) argues, as he does in the book and elsewhere, that nature sports provide a framework that facilitates intimate and meaningful interactions with nature. He argues further that the discussion included here shows how deeply our understanding of nature, and our understanding of nature sports, influence both our experiences within those sports and our broader experience of the world. (shrink)

The concept of sustainable development of the Brundtland Report and the related one of the Rio Declaration are interpreted differently by United Nations agencies, NGOs and business corporations. What should really be sustained includes quality of life; this requires sustainable natural systems and social systems. Living within our carbon budget is a prominent example. The management of resources on others’ behalf should share with ‘stewardship’ characteristics of care for what is intrinsically valuable, and responsibilities not only to owners but also (...) towards present and future people and other creatures. Reasons are considered for holding capitalist companies and capitalism itself to be unsustainable, such as its inbuilt imperative of growth. Sustainability cannot wait for a different system, as by then serious climate change will be irreversible. Carbon footprints need to be limited now. Practical measures include not blocking transitional steps, and finding innovative ways to reduce one’s company’s carbon footprint. (shrink)