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Earth might be under pressure, but there is hope. A fresh honor from the science, music and arts festival Starmus will inspire the public to make a difference.

The Starmus Jane Goodall Earth medal is to be awarded to pay tribute to the renowned scientist and conservationist who died recently. It is designed to celebrate those who champion our planet's biodiversity.

Award Details

Initial honorees are expected to be announced during the upcoming Starmus event in Tenerife and La Palma, scheduled from October 17th to 22nd next year.

According to statements that Goodall, who was a member of the festival's board, had backed the medal's establishment. “The vision of having this award, and Starmus being entrusted with organising it, originated with Jane,” a statement said. “Her desire was she would like this to happen. And I think because of the close connection she shared with us.”

“The Starmus Jane Goodall Earth medal will recognize sustainable programmes undertaken to create a planet a better place for all living beings and ecosystems and offer support to continue such efforts,” commented a relative.

Format and Inspiration

A co-founder of the festival noted that the medal – which was announced at a scientific institution – would probably encompass various fields.

“It’s going 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.

Sharing thoughts on the outlook for Earth, one figure stated, “To be truthful, it's challenging to be optimistic. The current political climate in one major nation is conducting a dismissal of evidence. This situation undermines collective action.”

“In truth, things don’t look particularly bright therefore we must commence reconsidering, with greater urgency about the consequences of human activity. And that’s not just global warming, that’s the whole way 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 in bestowing this medal, we will be considering this core philosophy of Jane’s – which made her foremost concern, to change the way we treat fellow creatures with which we share the planet.”

Another key issue currently is the proliferation of disinformation. The focus of next year’s festival will be “the pursuit of factual understanding”.

“We realised that truth has become a matter of debate where political interests is involved. And it’s an alarming trend,” he commented. “Climate research remains a scientific discipline; you cannot have any influence from politics in this field.”

Optimism and Resolve

The aspiration remains that this honor will spur action. “It focuses on inspiring individuals to participate and to care and to work toward these goals, really. Regardless of if we’re optimistic, we must look at doing the best we can,” it was added. “Be prepared for setbacks, but you still have to work toward success.”

A descendant engaged in conservation work shared optimism that “given direction and when empowered, humanity are capable of being conscientious guardians of our planet”, highlighting the initiatives of a foundation that, among its other activities, assists the youth get involved locally, animals, 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 make,” he said. “We still have an opportunity and this medal will offer support and increase understanding regarding beneficial initiatives currently in progress.”