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Earth might be under pressure, however a sense of hope remains. A new award from the interdisciplinary festival the Starmus festival seeks to motivate the public to take action.

The Starmus Jane Goodall Earth medal will honor in honour of the esteemed scientist and conservationist who passed away this year. It will recognise individuals and groups that protect our planet's biodiversity.

Honoring a Legacy

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

According to statements that Jane Goodall, who was a Starmus advisory board member, had backed the medal's establishment. “The vision of having this medal, and Starmus being entrusted to oversee it, was Jane's wish,” a representative said. “She expressed she would like this to happen. And I think due to the close relationship she shared with us.”

“The Starmus Jane Goodall Earth medal will acknowledge ongoing initiatives carried out to build an environment improved for people, animals and the environment and offer support for the continuation such efforts,” said a family member.

Structure and Vision

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

“The intent is for it to be inspired by the Stephen Hawking medal honoring scientific outreach established a decade past,” he explained. Goodall herself received of that very medal.

Sharing thoughts about the future of the planet, a prominent voice said, “Frankly, it’s very hard to maintain optimism. The current political climate globally is conducting a dismissal of evidence. This situation undermines collective action.”

“Realistically, things don’t look very good therefore we must begin to reflecting, much more seriously about the consequences of human activity. This concern encompasses not just climate change, but also the entire manner that we treat nature.”

Following an Example

Consequently, it was noted this is a good time to honor Goodall’s example. “I think that when we’re awarding the prize, we will be considering this core philosophy of Jane’s – that was her priority, to transform how we regard the other animals with which we share the planet.”

Another key issue at present was highlighted of disinformation. The theme of the upcoming Starmus festival will be “the pursuit of factual understanding”.

“It has become apparent that truth has become contested where political interests is involved. This is a very dangerous thing,” he commented. “Climate research remains a scientific discipline; you cannot allow interference by political agendas in this field.”

Hope and Determination

The hope remains that this honor can motivate action. “It focuses on inspiring individuals to participate and to care and to strive in that direction, really. Regardless of if we feel hopeful, we have to focus on doing our utmost,” it was added. “Accept the possibility of failure, yet we must continue striving to achieve positive outcomes.”

A family member involved in conservation work expressed hope that “with guidance and once enabled, humanity can be responsible caretakers of our planet”, pointing to the programs of an institute that, in addition to its projects, helps the next generation get involved locally, animals, and the natural world.

“As Jane Goodall often reminded us, our daily actions are significant and it is up to us the kind of difference we make,” he said. “It is not too late and this medal will give encouragement and increase understanding regarding beneficial initiatives that people are making.”