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Earth could be under pressure, but there is hope. A novel accolade originating at the interdisciplinary festival the Starmus festival seeks to encourage the public to act.

The medal will be given in honour of the esteemed scientist and conservationist who died this year. It will recognise individuals and groups that protect our planet's biodiversity.

Award Details

Initial honorees are expected to be announced at the Starmus VIII festival in Tenerife and La Palma, scheduled from 17–22 October the coming year.

It was shared that Jane Goodall, who was a member of the festival's board, had endorsed the award’s creation. “The idea of having this medal, and Starmus being entrusted to oversee it, is Jane’s,” a statement said. “She said she would like this to happen. This is likely because of the close connection she had with the festival.”

“The Starmus Jane Goodall Earth medal aims to highlight enduring projects undertaken to create a planet improved for all living beings and ecosystems and foster motivation to carry on such efforts,” said a family member.

Structure and Vision

One of the founders of the festival indicated that the medal – which was announced at a scientific institution – will likely have multiple categories.

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

Expressing concern on the outlook of the planet, a prominent voice stated, “Honestly, it is difficult to maintain optimism. Present governance in one major nation represents an assault on knowledge. So this undermines collective action.”

“Realistically, things don’t look very good which means we need to begin to reflecting, much more seriously about the consequences of human activity. This concern encompasses not just climate change, that’s the entire manner in which we interact with our environment.”

A Call to Action

Therefore, observers believe this is a good time to emulate Jane Goodall's legacy. “It is believed that when we’re awarding this medal, we will be considering this essential spirit that Jane embodied – which made her foremost concern, to change how we regard wildlife with which we share the planet.”

A pressing concern currently involves the spread of false information. The central topic of next year’s Starmus festival will be “the search for truth”.

“It has become apparent that factual reality has become a matter of debate where political interests is involved. And it’s an alarming trend,” it was said. “The climate science is a science; you cannot allow interference from politics in climate science.”

Hope and Determination

The hope remains that the medal will spur concrete steps. “It’s about encouraging people to participate and to care and to work toward these goals, really. Whether or not we’re optimistic, we have to focus on doing all that is possible,” a statement concluded. “Be prepared for setbacks, yet we must continue striving towards succeeding.”

A descendant engaged in conservation work shared confidence that “given direction and when empowered, people can be conscientious guardians of our planet”, highlighting the programs of an institute that, among its other activities, assists the youth get involved locally, animals, and the natural world.

“As Jane Goodall repeatedly emphasized, the choices we make each day make a difference and the responsibility lies with us the kind of difference we make,” he said. “We still have an opportunity and the Starmus Jane Goodall Earth medal will offer support and raise awareness about constructive efforts that people are making.”