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Earth could be under pressure, however a sense of hope remains. A new award originating at the interdisciplinary festival Starmus will encourage people to take action.

The Starmus Jane Goodall Earth medal is to be awarded to pay tribute to the celebrated scientist and conservationist who died recently. It seeks to acknowledge individuals and groups that champion our planet's biodiversity.

Award Details

Initial honorees will be revealed at the upcoming Starmus event in the Canary Islands, scheduled from 17–22 October next year.

Reports indicate that Goodall, who was a Starmus advisory board member, had backed the award’s creation. “The idea behind this medal, and the festival being tasked with organising it, originated with Jane,” a representative said. “She expressed she would like for this to occur. This is likely due to the close bond she shared with the festival.”

“The Starmus Jane Goodall Earth medal will acknowledge sustainable programmes carried out to make our world a better place for people, animals and the environment and provide encouragement to continue such efforts,” said a family member.

Structure and Vision

A co-founder of Starmus indicated that the medal – unveiled at a prestigious venue – will likely include several divisions.

“It will be modeled after the Stephen Hawking medal for science communication that we created exactly 10 years ago,” he explained. Jane Goodall herself received of that award.

Sharing thoughts on the outlook of the planet, a prominent voice stated, “To be truthful, it's challenging to be optimistic. Certain policies in one major nation is conducting an assault on knowledge. This situation undermines collective action.”

“Realistically, things don’t look particularly bright which means we need to really start thinking again, much more seriously regarding the impact of our actions. This concern encompasses not just climate change, but also the whole way that we treat the natural world.”

Inspiring Change

Consequently, it was noted this is a good time to emulate Jane Goodall's legacy. “It is believed that in bestowing this medal, we will be considering this essential spirit of Jane’s – that was her foremost concern, to transform how we regard wildlife with which we share the planet.”

A pressing concern today was highlighted of false information. The central topic of next year’s festival will be “the pursuit of factual understanding”.

“It has become apparent that truth has become a subject of discussion when politics is involved. This is an alarming trend,” it was said. “The climate science is a science; it is impossible to have any influence from politics in this field.”

Hope and Determination

The aspiration remains that the medal will inspire action. “The purpose is motivating others to engage and to show concern and to strive toward these goals, really. Regardless of if we feel hopeful, we have to look at doing all that is possible,” it was added. “Accept the possibility of failure, but you still have to work toward success.”

A family member engaged in conservation work expressed hope that “with guidance and once enabled, humans are capable of being conscientious guardians of Earth”, pointing to the programs of a foundation that, in addition to its projects, assists the youth get involved locally, wildlife, and the natural world.

“As my late grandmother repeatedly told everyone, our daily actions have an impact and it is up to us what type of impact we choose to create,” it was stated. “We still have an opportunity and the Starmus Jane Goodall Earth medal will offer support and raise awareness regarding beneficial initiatives that people are making.”