🔗 Share this article

Our planet might be under pressure, yet there is hope. A fresh honor originating at the interdisciplinary festival Starmus aims to motivate people to act.

This new Earth medal bearing Jane Goodall's name is to be awarded in honour of the celebrated British primatologist who died recently. It will recognise those who advocate for the natural world.

The Medal's Framework

The inaugural winners are expected to be announced during the Starmus VIII festival in the Canary Islands, scheduled from October 17th to 22nd the coming year.

Reports indicate that Goodall, who was a member of the festival's board, had backed the award’s creation. “The vision of having this medal, and the festival being tasked to oversee it, originated with Jane,” a statement said. “She expressed she would like this to happen. This is likely because of the very special relationship she shared with the festival.”

“The Starmus Jane Goodall Earth medal aims to highlight enduring projects carried out to build an environment improved for all living beings and ecosystems and offer support to continue that work,” commented a relative.

Structure and Vision

A co-founder of the festival stated that the medal – unveiled at a scientific institution – would probably encompass various fields.

“It’s going to be modeled after the Stephen Hawking medal honoring scientific outreach established a decade past,” it was explained. Goodall was an honoree of that very medal.

Expressing concern about the future of the planet, one figure stated, “To be truthful, it's challenging to be optimistic. The current political climate globally is conducting a dismissal of evidence. So this undermines global initiatives.”

“Realistically, the situation appears very good which means we need to commence reconsidering, much more seriously regarding the impact of our actions. This concern encompasses not only climate change, but also the entire manner in which we interact with nature.”

Inspiring Change

As a result, observers believe it was an opportune moment to follow her guiding principles. “I think that when we’re awarding this medal, we will be considering this core philosophy of Jane’s – which made her priority, to change the way we treat the other animals with which we share the planet.”

A pressing concern today involves the spread of disinformation. The theme of the upcoming Starmus festival is set as “the search for truth”.

“We realised that truth is becoming contested where political interests are involved. And it’s a very dangerous thing,” it was said. “Climate research is a science; you cannot allow interference by political agendas in climate science.”

Hope and Determination

The goal remains that the medal can motivate action. “It’s about motivating others to participate and to care and to strive in that direction, really. Whether or not we feel hopeful, we must look at doing the best we can,” it was added. “Accept the possibility of setbacks, yet we must have to work towards succeeding.”

A descendant involved in conservation work shared confidence that “with guidance and when empowered, humanity can be conscientious guardians of our planet”, citing the work of an institute that, among its other activities, assists the next generation become engaged locally, animals, and the natural world.

“As Jane Goodall constantly reminded us, our daily actions make a difference and the responsibility lies with us the kind of difference we choose to create,” he said. “It is not too late and the Starmus Jane Goodall Earth medal will give encouragement and increase understanding about constructive efforts that are being undertaken.”