🔗 Share this article

Our planet could be under pressure, however optimism persists. A novel accolade from the interdisciplinary festival Starmus seeks to encourage people to take action.

The medal will honor in memory of the esteemed British primatologist who passed away this year. It seeks to acknowledge individuals and groups that protect life on Earth.

Award Details

The inaugural winners are slated for announcement at the upcoming Starmus event in the Canary Islands, scheduled from 17–22 October the coming year.

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

“The Starmus Jane Goodall Earth medal will recognize enduring projects undertaken to build an environment improved for all living beings and ecosystems and offer support for the continuation that work,” said a family member.

Format and Inspiration

A co-founder of the festival stated 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,” he explained. Goodall was a recipient of that very medal.

Sharing thoughts on the outlook for Earth, one figure remarked, “Frankly, it's challenging to maintain optimism. The current political climate in one major nation represents a war on science. This situation undermines collective action.”

“Realistically, the prospects aren't particularly bright so we have to begin to reconsidering, more deeply regarding the impact of our actions. This concern encompasses not just climate change, that’s the whole way that we treat our environment.”

Inspiring Change

Consequently, it was noted it was an opportune moment to emulate Jane Goodall's legacy. “It is believed that when we’re awarding this medal, the focus will be on this core philosophy of Jane’s – which made her foremost concern, to transform our relationship with fellow creatures around us.”

Another key issue at present is the proliferation of misinformation. The focus of next year’s Starmus festival is set as “the pursuit of factual understanding”.

“It has become apparent that factual reality has become contested when politics is involved. This is a perilous development,” it was said. “The science of climate is a science; it is impossible to have any influence by political agendas in climate science.”

Hope and Determination

The hope remains that the medal can motivate action. “The purpose is motivating others to get involved and to care and to work toward these goals, really. Regardless of if we’re optimistic, we must look at working the best we can,” a statement concluded. “Accept the possibility of failure, yet we must continue striving to achieve positive outcomes.”

A descendant engaged in conservation work shared confidence that “with guidance and when empowered, humans are capable of being responsible caretakers of our planet”, citing the initiatives of an institute that, in addition to its projects, helps the next generation become engaged locally, animals, and the natural world.

“As my late grandmother constantly told everyone, the choices we make each day have an impact and the responsibility lies with us what type of impact we make,” he said. “It is not too late and this medal will offer support and raise awareness regarding beneficial initiatives currently in progress.”