🔗 Share this article

Earth might be facing challenges, but there is hope. A new award originating at the interdisciplinary festival Starmus seeks to motivate individuals to act.

The Starmus Jane Goodall Earth medal is to be awarded to pay tribute to the celebrated scientist and conservationist who died recently. It seeks to acknowledge those who champion the natural world.

Award Details

The first recipients will be revealed at the Starmus VIII festival in Tenerife and La Palma, which will run from October 17th to 22nd the coming year.

According to statements that Jane Goodall, a former Starmus advisory board member, had backed the award’s creation. “The vision of having this award, and Starmus being entrusted with organising it, is Jane’s,” a statement said. “Her desire was she would like for this to occur. And I think due to the very special bond she shared with us.”

“The Starmus Jane Goodall Earth medal aims to highlight enduring projects carried out to create a planet a better place for people, animals and the environment and offer support to continue such efforts,” said a family member.

Format and Inspiration

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

“The intent is for it to be very much similar to the Stephen Hawking medal honoring scientific outreach established a decade past,” it was explained. Goodall was a recipient of that award.

Sharing thoughts about the future for Earth, one figure remarked, “To be truthful, it's challenging to be optimistic. Certain policies globally represents a war on science. So this significantly hampers collective action.”

“To be honest, the situation appears particularly bright so we have to commence reflecting, much more seriously regarding the impact of human activity. This concern encompasses not just global warming, but also the entire manner that we treat our environment.”

A Call to Action

Therefore, it was noted this is a good time to honor her guiding principles. “I think that in bestowing the prize, the focus will be on this core philosophy that Jane embodied – which made her priority, to transform our relationship with the other animals around us.”

A pressing concern currently is the proliferation of disinformation. The theme of the upcoming festival will be “the search for truth”.

“It has become apparent that truth is becoming contested when politics is involved. This is a very dangerous thing,” it was said. “The climate science is a science; you cannot allow interference by political agendas in this field.”

Optimism and Resolve

The aspiration is that this honor will inspire concrete steps. “The purpose is motivating others to engage and to care and to strive in that direction, really. Whether or not we’re optimistic, we have to focus on doing all that is possible,” it was added. “Accept the possibility of failure, but you still continue striving toward success.”

A family member involved in conservation work shared hope that “given direction and when empowered, people are capable of being responsible caretakers of our planet”, pointing to the programs of a foundation that, in addition to its projects, assists young people get involved locally, animals, and the natural world.

“As my late grandmother repeatedly emphasized, our daily actions are significant and the responsibility lies with us what type of impact we make,” it was stated. “We still have an opportunity and this medal will offer support and increase understanding regarding constructive efforts that are being undertaken.”