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Earth is facing challenges, yet a sense of hope remains. A fresh honor from the science, music and arts festival Starmus seeks to inspire people to take action.

The medal will be given in honour of the esteemed British primatologist who died this year. It is designed to celebrate individuals and groups that advocate for the natural world.

Award Details

Initial honorees are slated for announcement at the upcoming Starmus event in Tenerife and La Palma, which will run from 17–22 October the coming year.

It was shared that Jane Goodall, a former member of the festival's board, had endorsed the medal's establishment. “The idea behind this medal, and Starmus being entrusted to oversee it, is Jane’s,” a statement said. “Her desire was that she wanted for this to occur. And I think due to the unique bond she had with us.”

“This medal will recognize sustainable programmes carried out to build an environment improved for people, animals and the environment and foster motivation to continue that work,” commented a relative.

Format and Inspiration

One of the founders of the festival indicated that the medal – unveiled at a scientific institution – will likely have multiple categories.

“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 an honoree of that very medal.

Sharing thoughts on the outlook for Earth, one figure remarked, “Honestly, it’s very hard to maintain optimism. The current political climate in one major nation represents a dismissal of evidence. So this significantly hampers collective action.”

“Realistically, the situation appears very good which means we need to really start reconsidering, with greater urgency about the consequences of our actions. And that’s not just climate change, but also the whole way that we treat nature.”

A Call to Action

As a result, observers believe this is an opportune moment to honor Goodall’s example. “It is believed that when we’re awarding this medal, we will be considering this core philosophy of Jane’s – which made her foremost concern, to transform the way we treat wildlife around us.”

A major topic currently is the proliferation of false information. The theme of next year’s Starmus festival is set as “the pursuit of factual understanding”.

“It has become apparent that factual reality has become a matter of debate when politics are involved. And it’s a perilous development,” it was said. “Climate research is a science; it is impossible to have any influence by political agendas in this field.”

Optimism and Resolve

The aspiration remains that this honor can motivate concrete steps. “The purpose is motivating others to engage and to show concern and to work in that direction, really. Whether or not we’re optimistic, we must focus on doing the best we can,” a statement concluded. “Accept the possibility of failure, yet we must have to work to achieve positive outcomes.”

A descendant engaged in environmental protection expressed hope that “with guidance and when empowered, humanity are capable of being conscientious guardians of Earth”, pointing to the work of an institute which, among its other activities, empowers the next generation become engaged locally, wildlife, and environment.

“As my late grandmother repeatedly reminded us, the choices we make each day are significant and it is up to us the kind of difference we make,” he said. “We still have an opportunity and this medal will offer support and increase understanding about constructive efforts that people are making.”