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Earth is under strain, but there is hope. A fresh honor from the science, music and arts festival the Starmus festival seeks to inspire people to take action.

The Starmus Jane Goodall Earth medal will honor in memory of the renowned British primatologist who passed away this year. It will recognise those who champion our planet's biodiversity.

Award Details

The first recipients are expected to be announced at the Starmus VIII festival in the Canary Islands, scheduled from 17–22 October the coming year.

Reports indicate that Jane Goodall, who was a Starmus advisory board member, had supported the medal's establishment. “The idea behind this award, and the festival being tasked to oversee it, was Jane's wish,” a representative said. “She expressed that she wanted for this to occur. And I think because of the close bond she had with us.”

“This medal will acknowledge ongoing initiatives undertaken to build an environment a better place for all living beings and ecosystems and offer support to continue such efforts,” said a family member.

Structure and Vision

A co-founder of the festival noted that the medal – unveiled at a prestigious venue – would probably include several divisions.

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

Expressing concern on the outlook for Earth, one figure stated, “Honestly, it is difficult to be optimistic. Present governance globally represents a war on science. This situation undermines collective action.”

“To be honest, things don’t look particularly bright therefore we must begin to reflecting, with greater urgency about the consequences of human activity. And that’s not only climate change, that’s the entire manner in which we interact with nature.”

Inspiring Change

As a result, it was noted this is a good time to honor her guiding principles. “I think that when we’re awarding this medal, the focus will be on this essential spirit of Jane’s – which made her foremost concern, to transform how we regard wildlife with which we share the planet.”

Another key issue currently is the proliferation of disinformation. The central topic of the upcoming festival will be “the search for truth”.

“We realised that truth has become a subject of discussion when politics is involved. This is a perilous development,” it was said. “The climate science is a science; you cannot allow interference from politics in this field.”

Optimism and Resolve

The goal remains that this honor can motivate concrete steps. “It focuses on motivating others to get involved and to show concern and to strive in that direction, really. Regardless of if we feel hopeful, we have to look at doing all that is possible,” a statement concluded. “Be prepared for setbacks, yet we must continue striving to achieve positive outcomes.”

A descendant engaged in environmental protection shared confidence that “given direction and once enabled, people are capable of being diligent stewards of our planet”, pointing to the work of an institute that, in addition to its projects, empowers the youth get involved with their community, wildlife, and environment.

“As my late grandmother constantly emphasized, the choices we make each day make a difference and it is up to us what type of impact we choose to create,” it was stated. “There is still time and the Starmus Jane Goodall Earth medal will provide inspiration and increase understanding regarding constructive efforts that are being undertaken.”