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Earth is facing challenges, however a sense of hope remains. A fresh honor originating at the science, music and arts festival Starmus will encourage people to act.

This new Earth medal bearing Jane Goodall's name will be given in honour of the renowned British primatologist who passed away recently. It seeks to acknowledge those who champion our planet's biodiversity.

The Medal's Framework

The first recipients will be revealed during the upcoming Starmus event in Tenerife and La Palma, which will run from 17–22 October next year.

Reports indicate that Jane Goodall, a former member of the festival's board, had backed the award’s creation. “The vision of having this medal, and Starmus being entrusted with organising it, originated with Jane,” a statement said. “She expressed that she wanted this to happen. This is likely because of the close relationship she had with us.”

“This medal aims to highlight ongoing initiatives undertaken to make our world improved for people, animals and the environment and offer support to continue that work,” said a family member.

Structure and Vision

A co-founder of the festival stated that the medal – which was announced at a scientific institution – will likely include several divisions.

“It will be modeled after the Stephen Hawking medal honoring scientific outreach established exactly 10 years ago,” he explained. Jane Goodall was a recipient of that very medal.

Sharing thoughts about the future for Earth, a prominent voice remarked, “Frankly, it’s very hard to maintain optimism. Certain policies in one major nation represents an assault on knowledge. So this really cripples collective action.”

“Realistically, things don’t look very good therefore we must commence reconsidering, much more seriously regarding the impact of our actions. This concern encompasses not only global warming, but also the whole way in which we interact with our environment.”

A Call to Action

As a result, it was noted it was 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 how we regard wildlife around us.”

A major topic at present involves the spread of disinformation. The central topic of the upcoming Starmus festival is set as “the search for truth”.

“It has become apparent that factual reality is becoming a matter of debate when politics is involved. And it’s an alarming trend,” he commented. “The science of climate remains a scientific discipline; you cannot have any influence by political agendas in this field.”

Optimism and Resolve

The aspiration remains that this honor can motivate positive change. “The purpose is inspiring individuals to engage and to show concern and to work toward these goals, really. Regardless of if we feel hopeful, we must look at doing all that is possible,” a statement concluded. “Be prepared for failure, yet we must have to work to achieve positive outcomes.”

A family member engaged in conservation work expressed optimism that “with guidance and once enabled, humans are capable of being responsible caretakers of Earth”, highlighting the work of an institute which, among its other activities, assists the youth get involved locally, wildlife, and the natural world.

“As Jane Goodall often reminded us, the choices we make each day have an impact and it is up to us the kind of difference we make,” it was stated. “We still have an opportunity and this medal will provide inspiration and raise awareness about beneficial initiatives that are being undertaken.”