A Jane Goodall Earth Medal Will Recognise Individuals Working to Improve the Planet.

Our planet might be facing challenges, but a sense of hope remains. A novel accolade originating at the interdisciplinary festival Starmus seeks to inspire the public to act.

The Starmus Jane Goodall Earth medal will honor in honour of the celebrated scientist and conservationist who passed away recently. It seeks to acknowledge individuals and groups that champion life on Earth.

Honoring a Legacy

The first recipients are expected to be announced during the Starmus VIII festival in Tenerife and La Palma, which will run from 17–22 October next year.

It was shared that Goodall, a former Starmus advisory board member, had supported the medal's establishment. “The vision of having this award, and the festival being tasked to oversee it, was Jane's wish,” a representative said. “She said that she wanted this to happen. And I think because of the very special bond she shared with the festival.”

“This medal will acknowledge sustainable programmes undertaken to make our world improved for people, animals and the environment and offer support to continue that work,” commented a relative.

Format and Inspiration

One of the founders of Starmus indicated that the medal – which was announced at a scientific institution – will likely encompass various fields.

“The intent is for it to be very much similar to the Stephen Hawking award honoring scientific outreach established exactly 10 years ago,” it was explained. Goodall was an honoree of that award.

Expressing concern on the outlook for Earth, one figure stated, “To be truthful, it's challenging to be optimistic. The current political climate globally represents a war on science. This situation significantly hampers the world’s efforts.”

“In truth, the situation appears very good so we have to commence reflecting, with greater urgency regarding the impact of human activity. And that’s not just global warming, that’s the whole way that we treat the natural world.”

A Call to Action

As a result, it was noted this is an opportune moment to honor Goodall’s example. “I think that when we’re awarding this medal, the focus will be on this core philosophy that Jane embodied – that was her priority, to change our relationship with the other animals around us.”

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

“There is a recognition that truth is becoming a subject of discussion when politics is involved. This is a very dangerous thing,” he commented. “The climate science remains a scientific discipline; you cannot allow interference by political agendas in climate science.”

Hope and Determination

The aspiration remains that the medal can motivate concrete steps. “It focuses on inspiring individuals to engage and to care and to work in that direction, truly. Whether or not we’re optimistic, we must focus on doing all that is possible,” it was added. “Accept the possibility of failure, yet we must continue striving toward success.”

A descendant involved in environmental protection expressed optimism that “given direction and when empowered, humanity are capable of being diligent stewards of our planet”, pointing to the initiatives of an institute that, among its other activities, assists the next generation become engaged with their community, animals, and environment.

“As Jane Goodall often reminded us, the choices we make each day are significant and the responsibility lies with us the kind of difference we choose to create,” it was stated. “It is not too late and the Starmus Jane Goodall Earth medal will offer support and raise awareness regarding constructive efforts that are being undertaken.”