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The world is under strain, but there is hope. A novel accolade originating at the interdisciplinary festival Starmus aims to encourage people to take action.

The Starmus Jane Goodall Earth medal is to be awarded to pay tribute to the esteemed British primatologist who passed away recently. It will recognise individuals and groups that champion the natural world.

Award Details

The first recipients are expected to be announced at the upcoming Starmus event in the Canary Islands, which will run from October 17th to 22nd next year.

It was shared that Jane Goodall, a former member of the festival's board, had supported the award’s creation. “The concept behind this award, and the festival being tasked with organising it, is Jane’s,” a representative said. “Her desire was she would like for this to occur. And I think because of the unique bond she had with the festival.”

“The Starmus Jane Goodall Earth medal aims to highlight 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 the festival indicated that the medal – unveiled at a scientific institution – will likely include several divisions.

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

Sharing thoughts about the future for Earth, one figure remarked, “To be truthful, it's challenging to maintain optimism. Certain policies globally is conducting a dismissal of evidence. This situation undermines the world’s efforts.”

“To be honest, things don’t look very good therefore we must commence reflecting, with greater urgency regarding the impact of our actions. This concern encompasses not just global warming, that’s the entire manner in which we interact with our environment.”

Inspiring Change

Therefore, observers believe it was a good time to emulate Jane Goodall's legacy. “It is believed that in bestowing this medal, the focus will be on this core philosophy of Jane’s – that was her foremost concern, to transform how we regard the other animals around us.”

Another key issue at present is the proliferation of false information. The central topic of next year’s Starmus festival is set as “the pursuit of factual understanding”.

“There is a recognition that factual reality has become contested when politics is involved. This is a very dangerous thing,” he commented. “The science of climate is a science; it is impossible to have any influence by political agendas in this field.”

Optimism and Resolve

The aspiration is that the medal will spur action. “The purpose is motivating others to engage and to care and to work toward these goals, really. Whether or not we’re optimistic, we must focus on working our utmost,” a statement concluded. “Be prepared for failure, yet we must continue striving towards succeeding.”

A descendant involved in environmental protection shared hope that “given direction and once enabled, humanity are capable of being diligent stewards of Earth”, highlighting the work of an institute which, among its other activities, assists young people get involved with their community, wildlife, and the natural world.

“As my late grandmother constantly emphasized, the choices we make each day have an impact and the responsibility lies with us what type of impact we choose to create,” it was stated. “There is still time and the Starmus Jane Goodall Earth medal will provide inspiration and increase understanding about beneficial initiatives currently in progress.”