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The world is under pressure, but a sense of hope remains. A fresh honor from the interdisciplinary festival the Starmus festival aims to inspire people to take action.

The Starmus Jane Goodall Earth medal will honor to pay tribute to the celebrated British primatologist who died this year. It seeks to acknowledge individuals and groups that champion 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 next year.

According to statements that Goodall, a former member of the festival's board, had supported the medal's establishment. “The concept behind this award, and Starmus being entrusted with organising it, is Jane’s,” a statement said. “Her desire was she would like this to happen. This is likely due to the unique bond she had with us.”

“This medal aims to highlight sustainable programmes carried out to make our world a better place for people, animals and the environment and foster motivation for the continuation such efforts,” said a family member.

Format and Inspiration

A co-founder of Starmus indicated that the medal – unveiled at a prestigious venue – will likely encompass various fields.

“It will be very much similar to the Stephen Hawking award honoring scientific outreach established exactly 10 years ago,” it was explained. Goodall was a recipient of that award.

Sharing thoughts about the future of the planet, a prominent voice said, “To be truthful, it’s very hard to feel hopeful. The current political climate globally represents a war on science. This situation undermines the world’s efforts.”

“Realistically, things don’t look particularly bright so we have to commence thinking again, with greater urgency about the consequences of human activity. This concern encompasses not just climate change, but also the entire manner that we treat the natural world.”

A Call to Action

As a result, observers believe it was a good time to honor Jane Goodall's legacy. “It is believed that in bestowing the prize, we will be considering this essential spirit of Jane’s – that was her priority, to change the way we treat fellow creatures with which we share the planet.”

Another key issue currently was highlighted of false information. The central topic of next year’s Starmus festival is set as “the search for truth”.

“We realised that factual reality has become a subject of discussion when politics are involved. This is a perilous development,” it was said. “Climate research is a science; it is impossible to have any influence from politics in this field.”

Optimism and Resolve

The goal is that the medal will inspire positive change. “It’s about motivating others to engage and to care and to strive toward these goals, really. Regardless of if we feel hopeful, we must look at working our utmost,” a statement concluded. “Be prepared for failure, but you still have to work to achieve positive outcomes.”

A family member involved in conservation work shared hope that “given direction and when empowered, humans are capable of being responsible caretakers of Earth”, pointing to the programs of an institute that, in addition to its projects, assists the youth get involved with their community, wildlife, and environment.

“As Jane Goodall repeatedly reminded us, our daily actions have an impact and the responsibility lies with us the kind of difference we choose to create,” he said. “It is not too late and this medal will give encouragement and increase understanding regarding beneficial initiatives that people are making.”