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The world might be under pressure, but a sense of hope remains. A novel accolade from the interdisciplinary festival Starmus seeks to encourage the public to act.

The Starmus Jane Goodall Earth medal is to be awarded in honour of the esteemed British primatologist who passed away this year. It is designed to celebrate individuals and groups that advocate for our planet's biodiversity.

Honoring a Legacy

The first recipients are expected to be announced at the upcoming Starmus event in the Canary Islands, which will run from 17–22 October the coming year.

Reports indicate that Goodall, who was a member of the festival's board, had supported the award’s creation. “The concept behind this award, and the festival being tasked to oversee it, was Jane's wish,” a representative said. “She expressed she would like this to happen. This is likely due to the very special bond she shared with us.”

“This medal will acknowledge ongoing initiatives carried out to build an environment a better place for people, animals and the environment and offer support to continue such efforts,” said a family member.

Format and Inspiration

A co-founder of the festival indicated that the medal – unveiled at a scientific institution – will likely encompass various fields.

“It’s going to be inspired by the Stephen Hawking medal honoring scientific outreach that we created a decade past,” he explained. Goodall was a recipient of that very medal.

Sharing thoughts about the future of the planet, a prominent voice said, “Honestly, it is difficult to be optimistic. The current political climate in one major nation represents an assault on knowledge. This situation significantly hampers the world’s efforts.”

“Realistically, the situation appears very good which means we need to really start thinking again, more deeply regarding the impact of human activity. And that’s not just climate change, but also the entire manner that we treat nature.”

Inspiring Change

Consequently, it was noted it was a good time to honor her guiding principles. “It is believed that when we’re awarding this medal, we will be considering this core philosophy of Jane’s – that was her priority, to transform our relationship with fellow creatures around us.”

A major topic today involves the spread of disinformation. The central topic of next year’s festival is set as “the search for truth”.

“There is a recognition that factual reality is becoming contested where political interests is involved. This is a very dangerous thing,” it was said. “The science of climate is a science; you cannot allow interference by political agendas in climate science.”

Hope and Determination

The hope remains that the medal can motivate action. “It focuses on encouraging people to participate and to show concern and to strive toward these goals, really. Whether or not we’re optimistic, we must look at working all that is possible,” it was added. “Be prepared for setbacks, but you still have to work toward success.”

A family member involved in conservation work expressed optimism that “given direction and once enabled, people can be diligent stewards of Earth”, highlighting the work of an institute that, among its other activities, helps the youth get involved locally, animals, and environment.

“As my late grandmother constantly emphasized, our daily actions make a difference and the responsibility lies with us the kind of difference we choose to create,” it was stated. “There is still time and this medal will give encouragement and increase understanding regarding beneficial initiatives currently in progress.”