🔗 Share this article

Earth could be facing challenges, however a sense of hope remains. A novel accolade from the interdisciplinary festival Starmus aims to inspire the public to act.

The Starmus Jane Goodall Earth medal will honor in memory of the celebrated scientist and conservationist who passed away this year. It will recognise those who protect our planet's biodiversity.

Honoring a Legacy

Initial honorees will be revealed during the Starmus VIII festival in the Canary Islands, scheduled from October 17th to 22nd the coming year.

Reports indicate that Jane Goodall, a former Starmus advisory board member, had backed the award’s creation. “The idea behind this medal, and Starmus being entrusted to oversee it, originated with Jane,” a representative said. “Her desire was she would like for this to occur. This is likely because of the unique bond she had with us.”

“This medal will recognize enduring projects carried out to make our world improved for people, animals and the environment and offer support for the continuation that work,” said a family member.

Structure and Vision

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

“It will be modeled after the Stephen Hawking medal honoring scientific outreach that we created a decade past,” he explained. Jane Goodall herself received of that award.

Expressing concern on the outlook for Earth, a prominent voice stated, “Frankly, it's challenging to maintain optimism. Certain policies in one major nation is conducting an assault on knowledge. So this really cripples collective action.”

“Realistically, the prospects aren't very good which means we need to really start reconsidering, with greater urgency about the consequences of human activity. And that’s not just climate change, that’s the whole way in which we interact with nature.”

Inspiring Change

Consequently, observers believe this is a good time to follow Jane Goodall's legacy. “It is believed that when we’re awarding this medal, the focus will be on this essential spirit of Jane’s – that was her priority, to change the way we treat fellow creatures around us.”

Another key issue currently is the proliferation of false information. The focus of the upcoming Starmus festival is set as “the search for truth”.

“There is a recognition that truth is becoming a matter of debate when politics is involved. And it’s a perilous development,” it was said. “Climate research is a science; you cannot have any influence by political agendas in this field.”

Hope and Determination

The aspiration is that the medal will inspire action. “It’s about motivating others to get involved and to care and to strive toward these goals, really. Regardless of if we’re optimistic, we must look at doing all that is possible,” a statement concluded. “Accept the possibility of failure, but you still continue striving towards succeeding.”

A family member engaged in conservation work shared confidence that “with guidance and once enabled, people are capable of being diligent stewards of Earth”, citing the initiatives of an institute that, among its other activities, empowers the next generation get involved locally, animals, and the natural world.

“As my late grandmother repeatedly reminded us, the choices we make each day have an impact and the responsibility lies with us the kind of difference we choose to create,” it was stated. “We still have an opportunity and the Starmus Jane Goodall Earth medal will provide inspiration and raise awareness regarding beneficial initiatives currently in progress.”