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Earth could be facing challenges, but there is hope. A fresh honor from the interdisciplinary festival the Starmus festival aims to motivate people to take action.

The Starmus Jane Goodall Earth medal is to be awarded to pay tribute to the esteemed British primatologist who died recently. It will recognise individuals and groups that champion life on Earth.

Honoring a Legacy

The inaugural winners will be revealed during the upcoming Starmus event in the Canary Islands, which will run from 17–22 October the coming year.

Reports indicate that Goodall, who was a member of the festival's board, had endorsed the award’s creation. “The idea of having this award, and the festival being tasked to oversee it, originated with Jane,” a representative said. “She expressed she would like for this to occur. This is likely because of the very special connection she shared with the festival.”

“The Starmus Jane Goodall Earth medal will recognize enduring projects carried out to create a planet improved for all living beings and ecosystems and foster motivation for the continuation such efforts,” said a family member.

Structure and Vision

A co-founder of Starmus stated that the medal – unveiled at a scientific institution – would probably encompass various fields.

“It’s going to be very much similar to the Stephen Hawking award honoring scientific outreach that we created exactly 10 years ago,” he explained. Jane Goodall was a recipient of that award.

Expressing concern about the future of the planet, a prominent voice stated, “Honestly, it’s very hard to be optimistic. Present governance globally represents a war on science. This situation significantly hampers the world’s efforts.”

“To be honest, the prospects aren't very good therefore we must begin to reconsidering, more deeply about the consequences of our actions. And that’s not only global warming, that’s the whole way that we treat nature.”

Inspiring Change

Consequently, it was noted this is an opportune moment to emulate Jane Goodall's legacy. “It is believed that when we’re awarding the prize, we will be considering this core philosophy of Jane’s – that was her foremost concern, to transform how we regard wildlife around us.”

A pressing concern at present involves the spread of misinformation. The focus of next year’s Starmus festival is set as “the pursuit of factual understanding”.

“We realised that truth has become a subject of discussion where political interests are involved. And it’s an alarming trend,” he commented. “The science of climate remains a scientific discipline; you cannot have any influence from politics in climate science.”

Optimism and Resolve

The hope is that the medal can motivate positive change. “The purpose is motivating others to get involved and to care and to strive in that direction, really. Whether or not we feel hopeful, we must focus on working our utmost,” a statement concluded. “Accept the possibility of failure, yet we must have to work toward success.”

A descendant engaged in conservation work expressed confidence that “with guidance and when empowered, people are capable of being diligent stewards of our planet”, pointing to the work of an institute which, among its other activities, empowers the next generation get involved with their community, wildlife, and environment.

“As Jane Goodall constantly emphasized, our daily actions have an impact and the responsibility lies with us what type of impact we choose to create,” he said. “There is still time and the Starmus Jane Goodall Earth medal will give encouragement and increase understanding regarding the positive actions that are being undertaken.”