🔗 Share this article

Earth might be under pressure, yet a sense of hope remains. A novel accolade originating at the science, music and arts festival Starmus aims to inspire people to take action.

This new Earth medal bearing Jane Goodall's name will honor in honour of the celebrated British primatologist who passed away recently. It is designed to celebrate individuals and groups that advocate for our planet's biodiversity.

Honoring a Legacy

Initial honorees are expected to be announced during the Starmus VIII festival in the Canary Islands, which will run from 17–22 October the coming year.

It was shared that Jane Goodall, a former Starmus advisory board member, had supported the medal's establishment. “The idea behind this award, and Starmus being entrusted to oversee it, originated with Jane,” a representative said. “She expressed that she wanted this to happen. And I think because of the unique connection she had with us.”

“The Starmus Jane Goodall Earth medal will acknowledge sustainable programmes undertaken to build an environment a better place for all living beings and ecosystems and offer support for the continuation that work,” said a family member.

Format and Inspiration

A co-founder of the festival stated that the medal – unveiled at a prestigious venue – would probably have multiple categories.

“The intent is for it to be very much similar to the Stephen Hawking medal for science communication that we created a decade past,” he explained. Goodall was an honoree of that award.

Expressing concern on the outlook of the planet, a prominent voice stated, “To be truthful, it’s very hard to feel hopeful. The current political climate globally represents an assault on knowledge. So this significantly hampers the world’s efforts.”

“Realistically, things don’t look particularly bright so we have to commence thinking again, with greater urgency regarding the impact of human activity. And that’s not just global warming, that’s the whole way that we treat the natural world.”

A Call to Action

As a result, observers believe it was a good time to emulate Jane Goodall's legacy. “I think that when we’re awarding the prize, the focus will be on this essential spirit of Jane’s – that was her foremost concern, to change our relationship with the other animals around us.”

A major topic currently involves the spread of misinformation. The focus of next year’s festival will be “the search for truth”.

“There is a recognition that factual reality is becoming a matter of debate when politics are involved. This is an alarming trend,” it was said. “Climate research remains a scientific discipline; it is impossible to allow interference by political agendas in climate science.”

Optimism and Resolve

The hope remains that this honor will inspire positive change. “It’s about encouraging people to get involved and to care and to strive in that direction, really. Whether or not we’re optimistic, we have to focus on working the best we can,” it was added. “Accept the possibility of failure, yet we must continue striving towards succeeding.”

A descendant involved in environmental protection shared hope that “with guidance and once enabled, humans can be diligent stewards of Earth”, highlighting the initiatives of an institute that, among its other activities, assists the youth get involved locally, animals, and the natural world.

“As my late grandmother constantly emphasized, the choices we make each day have an impact and it is up to us the kind of difference we choose to create,” he said. “We still have an opportunity and the Starmus Jane Goodall Earth medal will give encouragement and increase understanding about the positive actions that are being undertaken.”