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Earth might be facing challenges, yet a sense of hope remains. A fresh honor from the interdisciplinary festival Starmus aims to encourage people to make a difference.

The Starmus Jane Goodall Earth medal is to be awarded to pay tribute to the esteemed scientist and conservationist who died this year. It will recognise individuals and groups that champion our planet's biodiversity.

Honoring a Legacy

The first recipients are expected to be announced at the Starmus VIII festival in Tenerife and La Palma, 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 idea behind this medal, and Starmus being entrusted to oversee it, was Jane's wish,” a statement said. “Her desire was she would like for this to occur. This is likely due to the very special relationship she had with the festival.”

“This medal will acknowledge ongoing initiatives carried out to make our world a better place for all living beings and ecosystems and offer support to continue that work,” commented a relative.

Format and Inspiration

A co-founder of Starmus indicated that the medal – unveiled at a prestigious venue – would probably have multiple categories.

“The intent is for it to be modeled after the Stephen Hawking medal honoring scientific outreach established a decade past,” it was explained. Jane Goodall herself received of that award.

Expressing concern on the outlook for Earth, a prominent voice stated, “To be truthful, it’s very hard to be optimistic. The current political climate globally represents a war on science. This situation undermines collective action.”

“Realistically, the situation appears particularly bright which means we need to really start reflecting, more deeply about the consequences of human activity. This concern encompasses not only global warming, that’s the whole way in which we interact with nature.”

Inspiring Change

As a result, observers believe it was a good time to honor Jane Goodall's legacy. “I think that in bestowing the prize, the focus will be on this essential spirit of Jane’s – that was her priority, to change the way we treat wildlife with which we share the planet.”

A pressing concern currently is the proliferation of false information. The central topic of next year’s festival will be “the pursuit of factual understanding”.

“There is a recognition that truth is becoming contested where political interests is involved. And it’s an alarming trend,” he commented. “Climate research remains a scientific discipline; you cannot have any influence by political agendas in this field.”

Hope and Determination

The goal remains that this honor can motivate positive change. “It focuses on encouraging people to engage and to care and to strive toward these goals, truly. Whether or not we’re optimistic, we must focus on working all that is possible,” a statement concluded. “Accept the possibility of failure, yet we must continue striving toward success.”

A family member involved in environmental protection shared hope that “with guidance and once enabled, people can be conscientious guardians of Earth”, highlighting the work of an institute that, in addition to its projects, helps the youth get involved with their community, wildlife, and the natural world.

“As Jane Goodall constantly reminded us, our daily actions are significant and it is up to us the kind of difference we choose to create,” he said. “We still have an opportunity and this medal will offer support and raise awareness regarding the positive actions currently in progress.”