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The world is under strain, but optimism persists. A novel accolade from the science, music and arts festival Starmus aims to encourage people to take action.

The Starmus Jane Goodall Earth medal will be given in honour of the celebrated scientist and conservationist who passed away recently. It is designed to celebrate individuals and groups that champion the natural world.

Honoring a Legacy

The inaugural winners are slated for announcement at the upcoming Starmus event in the Canary Islands, which will run from October 17th to 22nd the coming year.

It was shared that Jane Goodall, a former Starmus advisory board member, had supported the award’s creation. “The concept of having this award, and Starmus being entrusted to oversee it, was Jane's wish,” a representative said. “She expressed that she wanted for this to occur. This is likely because of the close connection she had with us.”

“The Starmus Jane Goodall Earth medal aims to highlight sustainable programmes undertaken to make our world improved for people, animals and the environment and foster motivation to continue that work,” commented a relative.

Format and Inspiration

A co-founder of Starmus stated that the medal – which was announced at a prestigious venue – will likely include several divisions.

“It will be modeled after the Stephen Hawking award for science communication established exactly 10 years ago,” he explained. Goodall was a recipient of that award.

Expressing concern about the future for Earth, a prominent voice stated, “To be truthful, it's challenging to maintain optimism. Present governance globally is conducting a dismissal of evidence. This situation really cripples the world’s efforts.”

“Realistically, the prospects aren't very good therefore we must really start thinking again, more deeply about the consequences of human activity. This concern encompasses not only global warming, that’s the entire manner in which we interact with our environment.”

A Call to Action

As a result, it was noted it was a good time to honor her guiding principles. “I think that when we’re awarding this medal, we will be considering this essential spirit of Jane’s – which made her foremost concern, to change our relationship with wildlife with which we share the planet.”

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

“We realised that factual reality has become contested where political interests is involved. This is an alarming trend,” he commented. “Climate research is a science; it is impossible to have any influence from politics in climate science.”

Hope and Determination

The aspiration remains that this honor will inspire action. “It’s about motivating others to engage and to care and to strive toward these goals, really. Whether or not we’re optimistic, we have to focus on working all that is possible,” it was added. “Be prepared for setbacks, but you still have to work toward success.”

A descendant involved in environmental protection expressed optimism that “with guidance and when empowered, humans can be responsible caretakers of our planet”, citing the initiatives of an institute that, among its other activities, empowers the youth get involved with their community, wildlife, and the natural world.

“As Jane Goodall often reminded us, the choices we make each day are significant and it is up to us the kind of difference we choose to create,” he said. “We still have an opportunity and this medal will give encouragement and increase understanding about beneficial initiatives that are being undertaken.”