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Earth is under pressure, but optimism persists. A fresh honor from the science, music and arts festival the Starmus festival seeks to encourage the public to take action.

The Starmus Jane Goodall Earth medal is to be awarded to pay tribute to the renowned scientist and conservationist who died this year. It will recognise individuals and groups that advocate for life on Earth.

Honoring a Legacy

Initial honorees are expected to be announced at the Starmus VIII festival in the Canary Islands, which will run from October 17th to 22nd next year.

It was shared that Jane Goodall, who was a member of the festival's board, had supported the award’s creation. “The vision of having this award, and Starmus being entrusted to oversee it, originated with Jane,” a statement said. “She expressed she would like for this to occur. And I think due to the very special connection she shared with the festival.”

“This medal aims to highlight sustainable programmes undertaken to create a planet a better place for all living beings and ecosystems and provide encouragement for the continuation such efforts,” commented a relative.

Format and Inspiration

A co-founder of Starmus stated that the medal – unveiled at a prestigious venue – will likely have multiple categories.

“It will be very much similar to the Stephen Hawking medal for science communication that we created a decade past,” he explained. Goodall was an honoree of that very medal.

Sharing thoughts about the future of the planet, a prominent voice stated, “Frankly, it’s very hard to maintain optimism. The current political climate in one major nation represents a dismissal of evidence. So this significantly hampers collective action.”

“To be honest, the prospects aren't particularly bright therefore we must really start thinking again, with greater urgency regarding the impact of our actions. And that’s not just climate change, that’s the whole way that we treat the natural world.”

A Call to Action

Therefore, observers believe this is a good time to follow Jane Goodall's legacy. “I think that when we’re awarding this medal, we will be considering this core philosophy that Jane embodied – that was her priority, to change how we regard the other animals around us.”

A major topic currently involves the spread of disinformation. The central topic of the upcoming festival will be “the search for truth”.

“It has become apparent that truth has become a subject of discussion when politics are involved. This is a perilous development,” it was said. “Climate research is a science; you cannot have any influence by political agendas in climate science.”

Hope and Determination

The aspiration remains that the medal can motivate action. “It focuses on motivating others to participate and to show concern and to strive in that direction, truly. Whether or not we’re optimistic, we have to look at doing our utmost,” a statement concluded. “Be prepared for setbacks, yet we must have to work to achieve positive outcomes.”

A descendant engaged in environmental protection shared confidence that “given direction and when empowered, humans are capable of being responsible caretakers of Earth”, highlighting the initiatives of an institute that, in addition to its projects, assists the next generation get involved locally, wildlife, and the natural world.

“As Jane Goodall often told everyone, the choices we make each day are significant and the responsibility lies with us the kind of difference we make,” he said. “We still have an opportunity and this medal will provide inspiration and increase understanding regarding the positive actions currently in progress.”