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Earth could be under pressure, but a sense of hope remains. A new award originating at the interdisciplinary festival the Starmus festival aims to motivate the public to act.

The Starmus Jane Goodall Earth medal is to be awarded to pay tribute to the celebrated scientist and conservationist who passed away recently. It seeks to acknowledge those who advocate for our planet's biodiversity.

Award Details

The inaugural winners are expected to be announced during the Starmus VIII festival in Tenerife and La Palma, which will run from 17–22 October the coming year.

It was shared that Jane Goodall, who was a Starmus advisory board member, had supported the award’s creation. “The vision behind this medal, and Starmus being entrusted to oversee it, is Jane’s,” a statement said. “She said she would like this to happen. And I think due to the close bond she had with the festival.”

“This medal aims to highlight enduring projects undertaken to create a planet improved for all living beings and ecosystems and foster motivation to carry on such efforts,” said a family member.

Structure and Vision

A co-founder of the festival stated that the medal – unveiled at a scientific institution – would probably include several divisions.

“It’s going to be inspired by the Stephen Hawking medal for science communication that we created exactly 10 years ago,” it was explained. Goodall was a recipient of that award.

Expressing concern about the future for Earth, one figure said, “Frankly, it’s very hard to maintain optimism. Present governance in one major nation is conducting a war on science. So this significantly hampers global initiatives.”

“To be honest, the prospects aren't very good which means we need to commence reconsidering, much more seriously regarding the impact of our actions. And that’s not only climate change, but also the whole way that we treat nature.”

A Call to Action

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

A major topic today was highlighted of disinformation. The central topic of next year’s Starmus festival will be “the pursuit of factual understanding”.

“There is a recognition that truth has become contested where political interests are involved. This is an alarming trend,” he commented. “The climate science remains a scientific discipline; you cannot allow interference by political agendas in climate science.”

Hope and Determination

The aspiration is that the medal will spur action. “It focuses on encouraging people to get involved and to show concern and to strive in that direction, truly. Regardless of if we feel hopeful, we have to focus on working all that is possible,” it was added. “Accept the possibility of setbacks, but you still continue striving towards succeeding.”

A descendant engaged in environmental protection expressed confidence that “with guidance and when empowered, humanity are capable of being diligent stewards of our planet”, highlighting the programs of an institute which, among its other activities, empowers the next generation get involved locally, wildlife, and environment.

“As Jane Goodall repeatedly told everyone, our daily actions make a difference and the responsibility lies with us what type of impact we make,” it was stated. “There is still time and this medal will provide inspiration and increase understanding regarding constructive efforts that are being undertaken.”