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Earth might be under strain, however a sense of hope remains. A novel accolade from the science, music and arts festival Starmus seeks to motivate the public to take action.

The Starmus Jane Goodall Earth medal will be given in honour of the renowned British primatologist who passed away this year. It is designed to celebrate those who advocate for life on Earth.

Award Details

The first recipients will be revealed at the Starmus VIII festival in the Canary Islands, which will run from October 17th to 22nd the coming year.

According to statements that Jane Goodall, who was a Starmus advisory board member, had backed the award’s creation. “The vision of having this award, and the festival being tasked to oversee it, is Jane’s,” a statement said. “She said she would like for this to occur. This is likely because of the close bond she shared with the festival.”

“The Starmus Jane Goodall Earth medal will acknowledge ongoing initiatives carried out to build an environment improved for all living beings and ecosystems and provide encouragement to continue such efforts,” commented a relative.

Structure and Vision

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

“The intent is for it to be modeled after the Stephen Hawking medal honoring scientific outreach that we created exactly 10 years ago,” he explained. Jane Goodall was an honoree of that award.

Sharing thoughts about the future for Earth, a prominent voice said, “Frankly, it's challenging to be optimistic. The current political climate in one major nation represents a dismissal of evidence. So this undermines the world’s efforts.”

“Realistically, things don’t look particularly bright so we have to really start thinking again, with greater urgency regarding the impact of human activity. This concern encompasses not just global warming, that’s the entire manner that we treat the natural world.”

A Call to Action

Consequently, it was noted it was a good time to honor her guiding principles. “It is believed that when we’re awarding the prize, we will be considering this core philosophy of Jane’s – which made her priority, to change the way we treat wildlife with which we share the planet.”

A pressing concern today is the proliferation of disinformation. The central topic of next year’s Starmus festival is set as “the search for truth”.

“It has become apparent that factual reality is becoming a subject of discussion where political interests are involved. And it’s a very dangerous thing,” he commented. “Climate research is a science; it is impossible to have any influence by political agendas in this field.”

Optimism and Resolve

The aspiration is that this honor will inspire positive change. “It’s about inspiring individuals to engage and to show concern and to strive in that direction, truly. Whether or not we’re optimistic, we have to focus on doing the best we can,” it was added. “Be prepared for failure, but you still continue striving toward success.”

A descendant involved in environmental protection expressed confidence that “with guidance and when empowered, humanity can be conscientious guardians of our planet”, citing the programs of an institute that, among its other activities, empowers young people get involved with their community, wildlife, and the natural world.

“As my late grandmother often emphasized, the choices we make each day are significant and it is up to us what type of impact we make,” he said. “It is not too late and the Starmus Jane Goodall Earth medal will offer support and increase understanding about the positive actions currently in progress.”