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Our planet is under pressure, but there is hope. A new award from the science, music and arts festival the Starmus festival seeks to encourage the public to act.

The Starmus Jane Goodall Earth medal will be given to pay tribute to the celebrated British primatologist who passed away recently. It is designed to celebrate individuals and groups that advocate for our planet's biodiversity.

Award Details

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

According to statements that Goodall, a former member of the festival's board, had supported the award’s creation. “The concept of having this medal, and the festival being tasked with organising it, is Jane’s,” a statement said. “Her desire was that she wanted this to happen. And I think due to the close relationship she had with us.”

“The Starmus Jane Goodall Earth medal will acknowledge enduring projects carried out to make our world a better place for all living beings and ecosystems and offer support to carry on such efforts,” commented a relative.

Structure and Vision

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

“It’s going to be inspired by the Stephen Hawking medal for science communication established exactly 10 years ago,” it was explained. Jane Goodall herself received of that very medal.

Expressing concern on the outlook for Earth, a prominent voice remarked, “Frankly, it is difficult to be optimistic. Present governance globally represents a dismissal of evidence. So this significantly hampers global initiatives.”

“To be honest, the situation appears very good so we have to commence reflecting, much more seriously about the consequences of our actions. This concern encompasses not only climate change, that’s the whole way that we treat our environment.”

A Call to Action

Consequently, observers believe it was an opportune moment to emulate her guiding principles. “I think that in bestowing the prize, we will be considering this core philosophy that Jane embodied – that was her priority, to change how we regard wildlife with which we share the planet.”

A major topic at present is the proliferation of false information. The focus of the upcoming festival will be “the pursuit of factual understanding”.

“It has become apparent that factual reality has become a matter of debate where political interests is involved. This is an alarming trend,” he commented. “Climate research is a science; you cannot have any influence from politics in climate science.”

Hope and Determination

The aspiration remains that the medal will spur action. “It focuses on encouraging people to get involved and to show concern and to work toward these goals, truly. Regardless of if we’re optimistic, we have to look at doing all that is possible,” it was added. “Accept the possibility of setbacks, but you still have to work to achieve positive outcomes.”

A family member involved in environmental protection expressed hope that “given direction and once enabled, humanity can be responsible caretakers of Earth”, pointing to the programs of an institute that, among its other activities, helps the youth become engaged with their community, animals, and environment.

“As Jane Goodall often reminded us, the choices we make each day are significant and it is up to us what type of impact we make,” he said. “There is still time and this medal will give encouragement and increase understanding about the positive actions that are being undertaken.”