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Earth is under strain, yet there is hope. A new award from the science, music and arts festival the Starmus festival seeks to inspire individuals to act.

The medal will honor in honour of the renowned British primatologist who died recently. It will recognise individuals and groups that champion life on Earth.

Award Details

The inaugural winners will be revealed during the upcoming Starmus event in Tenerife and La Palma, scheduled from October 17th to 22nd the coming year.

According to statements that Jane Goodall, a former member of the festival's board, had endorsed the award’s creation. “The vision behind this award, and the festival being tasked with organising it, is Jane’s,” a statement said. “She expressed she would like this to happen. This is likely due to the close relationship she had with us.”

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

Structure and Vision

A co-founder of the festival indicated that the medal – which was announced at a scientific institution – would probably include several divisions.

“It will be modeled after the Stephen Hawking medal honoring scientific outreach that we created exactly 10 years ago,” he explained. Jane Goodall herself received of that award.

Expressing concern on the outlook of the planet, one figure said, “Frankly, it's challenging to maintain optimism. Present governance in one major nation represents an assault on knowledge. This situation significantly hampers collective action.”

“To be honest, the prospects aren't particularly bright therefore we must begin to reflecting, with greater urgency regarding the impact of human activity. And that’s not just climate change, but also the whole way that we treat our environment.”

Inspiring Change

Consequently, it was noted this is an opportune moment to honor Goodall’s example. “It is believed that when we’re awarding this medal, the focus will be on this essential spirit that Jane embodied – that was her foremost concern, to transform the way we treat wildlife with which we share the planet.”

A major topic currently is the proliferation of disinformation. The central topic of the upcoming Starmus festival will be “the pursuit of factual understanding”.

“It has become apparent that truth is becoming contested where political interests are involved. And it’s a perilous development,” it was said. “The science of climate remains a scientific discipline; it is impossible to have any influence by political agendas in climate science.”

Optimism and Resolve

The hope remains that the medal can motivate action. “It’s about motivating others to engage and to show concern and to strive toward these goals, really. Whether or not we feel hopeful, we have to focus on working the best we can,” a statement concluded. “Accept the possibility of setbacks, but you still continue striving to achieve positive outcomes.”

A family member involved in environmental protection shared confidence that “given direction and once enabled, humanity are capable of being responsible caretakers of our planet”, citing the programs of an institute which, among its other activities, empowers the next generation become engaged with their community, wildlife, and the natural world.

“As my late grandmother constantly reminded us, the choices we make each day make a difference and the responsibility lies with us what type of impact we make,” he said. “There is still time and this medal will give encouragement and raise awareness regarding the positive actions that people are making.”