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Our planet could be under strain, however optimism persists. A novel accolade from the science, music and arts festival the Starmus festival seeks to motivate the public to take action.

This new Earth medal bearing Jane Goodall's name will honor to pay tribute to the celebrated British primatologist who passed away this year. It will recognise those who protect the natural world.

Honoring a Legacy

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

Reports indicate that Jane Goodall, a former member of the festival's board, had endorsed the award’s creation. “The vision of having this award, and Starmus being entrusted to oversee it, originated with Jane,” a statement said. “She said she would like for this to occur. This is likely due to the very special relationship she had with the festival.”

“This medal will acknowledge sustainable programmes undertaken to build an environment a better place for all living beings and ecosystems and provide encouragement to carry on that work,” commented a relative.

Structure and Vision

A co-founder of Starmus indicated that the medal – unveiled at a scientific institution – would probably include several divisions.

“It’s going to be inspired by the Stephen Hawking medal for science communication that we created exactly 10 years ago,” he explained. Jane Goodall was a recipient of that award.

Sharing thoughts about the future for Earth, a prominent voice stated, “To be truthful, it is difficult to maintain optimism. The current political climate in one major nation is conducting a war on science. So this significantly hampers the world’s efforts.”

“Realistically, the situation appears particularly bright so we have to begin to thinking again, much more seriously about the consequences of our actions. This concern encompasses not just global warming, but also the whole way in which we interact with the natural world.”

Inspiring Change

Therefore, it was noted it was a good time to emulate Goodall’s example. “I think that when we’re awarding this medal, we will be considering this core philosophy that Jane embodied – which made her foremost concern, to transform the way we treat fellow creatures around us.”

A major topic at present involves the spread of disinformation. The focus of the upcoming festival is set as “the pursuit of factual understanding”.

“We realised that factual reality has become a matter of debate when politics is involved. And it’s a very dangerous thing,” he commented. “Climate research is a science; you cannot allow interference from politics in climate science.”

Hope and Determination

The hope remains that the medal can motivate action. “It focuses on encouraging people to engage and to show concern and to work in that direction, really. Whether or not we feel hopeful, we must focus on doing our utmost,” it was added. “Accept the possibility of failure, yet we must continue striving towards succeeding.”

A family member involved in conservation work expressed confidence that “with guidance and once enabled, people can be conscientious guardians of our planet”, pointing to the initiatives of an institute which, among its other activities, assists the next generation get involved with their community, animals, and environment.

“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. “There is still time and this medal will give encouragement and increase understanding about beneficial initiatives that are being undertaken.”