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Earth might be under pressure, yet optimism persists. A new award from the science, music and arts festival Starmus seeks to motivate people to make a difference.

The Starmus Jane Goodall Earth medal is to be awarded in honour of the celebrated British primatologist who died recently. It is designed to celebrate individuals and groups that champion the natural world.

Honoring a Legacy

The inaugural winners are slated for announcement during the Starmus VIII festival in the Canary Islands, which will run from 17–22 October next year.

It was shared that Goodall, a former Starmus advisory board member, had endorsed the award’s creation. “The idea of having this award, and Starmus being entrusted to oversee it, was Jane's wish,” a statement said. “She said she would like for this to occur. This is likely because of the very special relationship she shared with the festival.”

“This medal will recognize sustainable programmes undertaken to create a planet a better place for all living beings and ecosystems and offer support for the continuation that work,” commented a relative.

Structure and Vision

One of the founders of the festival stated that the medal – which was announced at a prestigious venue – will likely have multiple categories.

“It will be modeled after the Stephen Hawking medal for science communication that we created a decade past,” it was explained. Jane Goodall herself received of that very medal.

Expressing concern about the future for Earth, a prominent voice stated, “Frankly, it is difficult to feel hopeful. The current political climate in one major nation is conducting a war on science. This situation significantly hampers global initiatives.”

“In truth, things don’t look particularly bright so we have to really start thinking again, much more seriously regarding the impact of human activity. This concern encompasses not just climate change, but also the whole way in which we interact with our environment.”

Inspiring Change

Therefore, observers believe it was a good time to emulate Goodall’s example. “I think that when we’re awarding the prize, the focus will be on this essential spirit of Jane’s – that was her priority, to transform the way we treat the other animals around us.”

A major topic today is the proliferation of misinformation. The focus of the upcoming festival will be “the search for truth”.

“There is a recognition that factual reality is becoming a subject of discussion when politics are involved. This is a perilous development,” he commented. “Climate research is a science; it is impossible to allow interference from politics in climate science.”

Hope and Determination

The hope is that this honor will spur concrete steps. “The purpose is inspiring individuals to engage and to show concern and to work in that direction, truly. Regardless of if we’re optimistic, we have to focus on working the best we can,” it was added. “Accept the possibility of setbacks, yet we must continue striving to achieve positive outcomes.”

A descendant involved in conservation work shared optimism that “given direction and once enabled, humans can be responsible caretakers of Earth”, pointing to the work of an institute that, in addition to its projects, empowers the next generation get involved locally, animals, and environment.

“As my late grandmother often told everyone, our daily actions make a difference and the responsibility lies with us the kind of difference we choose to create,” he said. “There is still time and the Starmus Jane Goodall Earth medal will give encouragement and increase understanding about beneficial initiatives that are being undertaken.”