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Our planet is under pressure, yet a sense of hope remains. A new award originating at the interdisciplinary festival Starmus will motivate individuals to take action.

The medal is to be awarded to pay tribute to the celebrated British primatologist who passed away recently. It is designed to celebrate those who advocate for life on Earth.

The Medal's Framework

Initial honorees are slated for announcement during the Starmus VIII festival in Tenerife and La Palma, scheduled from 17–22 October the coming year.

Reports indicate that Jane Goodall, a former Starmus advisory board member, had backed the medal's establishment. “The vision behind this award, and Starmus being entrusted to oversee it, is Jane’s,” a representative said. “She expressed that she wanted for this to occur. And I think because of the unique connection she had with the festival.”

“The Starmus Jane Goodall Earth medal aims to highlight sustainable programmes carried out to build an environment improved for people, animals and the environment and offer support for the continuation such efforts,” said a family member.

Structure and Vision

One of the founders of the festival noted that the medal – which was announced at a prestigious venue – will likely include several divisions.

“The intent is for it to be very much similar to the Stephen Hawking award for science communication that we created a decade past,” it was explained. Jane Goodall was a recipient of that very medal.

Expressing concern on the outlook of the planet, one figure stated, “To be truthful, it’s very hard to maintain optimism. The current political climate globally represents an assault on knowledge. This situation really cripples global initiatives.”

“Realistically, the situation appears particularly bright which means we need to really start reflecting, with greater urgency regarding the impact of human activity. This concern encompasses not only climate change, that’s the whole way that we treat nature.”

Following an Example

As a result, observers believe it was an opportune moment to honor Goodall’s example. “I think that when we’re awarding this medal, we will be considering this core philosophy of Jane’s – which made her foremost concern, to transform how we regard the other animals around us.”

A major topic currently is the proliferation of misinformation. The central topic of next year’s festival is set as “the pursuit of factual understanding”.

“We realised that truth is becoming contested when politics is involved. This is a perilous development,” it was said. “Climate research remains a scientific discipline; it is impossible to have any influence by political agendas in this field.”

Hope and Determination

The aspiration remains that this honor will inspire action. “It’s about motivating others to engage and to show concern and to work in that direction, really. Whether or not we’re optimistic, we have to look at doing all that is possible,” it was added. “Be prepared for failure, yet we must have to work towards succeeding.”

A family member engaged in environmental protection shared hope that “with guidance and once enabled, humanity can be diligent stewards of our planet”, highlighting the programs of an institute which, among its other activities, empowers the next generation become engaged locally, animals, and the natural world.

“As Jane Goodall repeatedly told everyone, our daily actions have an impact and the responsibility lies with us what type of impact we make,” it was stated. “It is not too late and the Starmus Jane Goodall Earth medal will provide inspiration and increase understanding regarding beneficial initiatives currently in progress.”