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Earth could be under strain, but there is hope. A fresh honor from the science, music and arts festival Starmus will inspire people to act.

The medal will honor in honour of the celebrated British primatologist who passed away this year. It is designed to celebrate those who protect life on Earth.

Award Details

Initial honorees will be revealed during the Starmus VIII festival in Tenerife and La Palma, which will run from October 17th to 22nd the coming year.

Reports indicate that Goodall, who was a member of the festival's board, had supported the medal's establishment. “The vision behind this medal, and the festival being tasked to oversee it, was Jane's wish,” a statement said. “She said she would like for this to occur. And I think due to the unique bond she had with us.”

“The Starmus Jane Goodall Earth medal will acknowledge enduring projects carried out to make our world a better place for people, animals and the environment and provide encouragement for the continuation that work,” said a family member.

Format and Inspiration

One of the founders of Starmus noted that the medal – unveiled at a prestigious venue – will likely include several divisions.

“The intent is for it to be modeled after the Stephen Hawking medal for science communication that we created exactly 10 years ago,” it was explained. Jane Goodall was a recipient of that very medal.

Sharing thoughts about the future of the planet, a prominent voice said, “Honestly, it’s very hard to feel hopeful. Present governance in one major nation represents a war on science. This situation significantly hampers global initiatives.”

“Realistically, the situation appears very good therefore we must really start reconsidering, more deeply regarding the impact of our actions. And that’s not only global warming, that’s the entire manner in which we interact with our environment.”

Inspiring Change

Consequently, observers believe this is an opportune moment to follow Jane Goodall's legacy. “I think that when we’re awarding the prize, we will be considering this core philosophy that Jane embodied – that was her foremost concern, to change the way we treat wildlife with which we share the planet.”

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

“We realised that factual reality has become contested where political interests are involved. And it’s an alarming trend,” he commented. “Climate research remains a scientific discipline; you cannot have any influence from politics in climate science.”

Optimism and Resolve

The aspiration remains that the medal will inspire concrete steps. “It’s about motivating others to engage and to care and to strive toward these goals, truly. Regardless of if we’re optimistic, we must look at doing the best we can,” a statement concluded. “Be prepared for setbacks, but you still continue striving toward success.”

A descendant engaged in conservation work shared optimism that “given direction and once enabled, humans can be diligent stewards of Earth”, pointing to the programs of an institute which, among its other activities, assists the next generation become engaged with their community, wildlife, and the natural world.

“As my late grandmother often told everyone, our daily actions have an impact and the responsibility lies with us what type of impact we make,” he said. “There is still time and this medal will give encouragement and increase understanding regarding beneficial initiatives that are being undertaken.”