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Earth could be under strain, yet optimism persists. A novel accolade from the science, music and arts festival Starmus will inspire people to act.

The medal will honor in honour of the renowned scientist and conservationist who passed away recently. It is designed to celebrate individuals and groups that champion our planet's biodiversity.

Award Details

Initial honorees are slated for announcement during the Starmus VIII festival in the Canary Islands, scheduled from October 17th to 22nd next year.

Reports indicate that Goodall, who was a Starmus advisory board member, had endorsed the award’s creation. “The idea of having this medal, and Starmus being entrusted to oversee it, originated with Jane,” a statement said. “Her desire was she would like this to happen. This is likely due to the close bond she had with us.”

“The Starmus Jane Goodall Earth medal aims to highlight ongoing initiatives carried out to build an environment a better place for all living beings and ecosystems and provide encouragement to carry on that work,” commented a relative.

Structure and Vision

One of the founders of Starmus stated that the medal – unveiled at a prestigious venue – would probably have multiple categories.

“It’s going to be very much similar to the Stephen Hawking award honoring scientific outreach that we created exactly 10 years ago,” he explained. Jane Goodall herself received of that award.

Expressing concern about the future for Earth, one figure stated, “To be truthful, it’s very hard to feel hopeful. The current political climate in one major nation represents a dismissal of evidence. This situation significantly hampers collective action.”

“In truth, things don’t look very good so we have to commence reconsidering, much more seriously about the consequences of our actions. This concern encompasses not only climate change, but also the entire manner in which we interact with nature.”

Following an Example

Consequently, it was noted this is an opportune moment to emulate Goodall’s example. “It is believed that when we’re awarding this medal, the focus will be on this core philosophy of Jane’s – which made her priority, to transform the way we treat the other animals with which we share the planet.”

A pressing concern currently is the proliferation of disinformation. The theme of the upcoming festival will be “the pursuit of factual understanding”.

“There is a recognition that factual reality is becoming contested where political interests are involved. This is a perilous development,” it was said. “The climate science remains a scientific discipline; you cannot have any influence by political agendas in this field.”

Optimism and Resolve

The hope is that this honor can motivate action. “It’s about encouraging people to get involved and to show concern and to strive toward these goals, really. Whether or not we feel hopeful, we must focus on doing all that is possible,” a statement concluded. “Be prepared for setbacks, yet we must continue striving to achieve positive outcomes.”

A descendant engaged in conservation work shared hope that “with guidance and once enabled, people can be responsible caretakers of our planet”, highlighting the work of a foundation which, among its other activities, helps the youth get involved locally, animals, and environment.

“As Jane Goodall repeatedly reminded us, our daily actions have an impact and the responsibility lies with us what type of impact we choose to create,” he said. “It is not too late and this medal will provide inspiration and increase understanding about the positive actions that are being undertaken.”