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The world is under pressure, yet there is hope. A new award from the interdisciplinary festival the Starmus festival seeks to motivate people to take action.

The medal will be given to pay tribute to the esteemed scientist and conservationist who died recently. It will recognise individuals and groups that champion life on Earth.

Honoring a Legacy

The inaugural winners are expected to be announced during the upcoming Starmus event in Tenerife and La Palma, which will run from 17–22 October next year.

It was shared that Jane Goodall, who was a member of the festival's board, had supported the medal's establishment. “The vision of having this award, and Starmus being entrusted with organising it, is Jane’s,” a representative said. “She expressed she would like this to happen. This is likely due to the unique relationship she shared with the festival.”

“The Starmus Jane Goodall Earth medal will acknowledge sustainable programmes carried out to make our world a better place for people, animals and the environment and provide encouragement for the continuation that work,” commented a relative.

Structure and Vision

A co-founder of Starmus noted that the medal – which was announced at a prestigious venue – would probably include several divisions.

“It will be modeled after the Stephen Hawking award honoring scientific outreach that we created a decade past,” it was explained. Goodall was an honoree of that award.

Sharing thoughts about the future of the planet, one figure said, “Honestly, it is difficult to maintain optimism. The current political climate in one major nation is conducting an assault on knowledge. So this really cripples the world’s efforts.”

“To be honest, the situation appears very good so we have to really start thinking again, much more seriously regarding the impact of our actions. This concern encompasses not only climate change, but also the entire manner in which we interact with our environment.”

Inspiring Change

As a result, observers believe this is a good time to emulate Goodall’s example. “I think that when we’re awarding the prize, the focus will be on this core philosophy that Jane embodied – that was her priority, to transform the way we treat wildlife with which we share the planet.”

Another key issue currently is the proliferation of false information. The theme of next year’s festival is set as “the pursuit of factual understanding”.

“It has become apparent that truth is becoming a matter of debate when politics are involved. And it’s a very dangerous thing,” it was said. “The science of climate remains a scientific discipline; you cannot allow interference from politics in climate science.”

Hope and Determination

The aspiration is that the medal will inspire positive change. “The purpose is inspiring individuals to get involved and to care and to work in that direction, truly. Whether or not we feel hopeful, we have to look at working the best we can,” a statement concluded. “Accept the possibility of failure, but you still continue striving towards succeeding.”

A family member involved in conservation work shared optimism that “given direction and once enabled, humanity can be conscientious guardians of Earth”, citing the initiatives of an institute that, in addition to its projects, assists the next generation become engaged locally, wildlife, and the natural world.

“As my late grandmother repeatedly reminded us, our daily actions have an impact and the responsibility lies with us what type of impact we choose to create,” he said. “We still have an opportunity and the Starmus Jane Goodall Earth medal will provide inspiration and raise awareness regarding the positive actions that people are making.”