The Jane Goodall Earth Medal Will Celebrate Those Working to Improve the Planet.

Earth could be under pressure, however a sense of hope remains. A fresh honor originating at the interdisciplinary festival the Starmus festival seeks to inspire people to act.

The medal is to be awarded in honour of the esteemed scientist and conservationist who passed away this year. It will recognise individuals and groups that champion life on Earth.

Award Details

The first recipients will be revealed at the Starmus VIII festival in Tenerife and La Palma, scheduled from 17–22 October next year.

It was shared that Goodall, who was a Starmus advisory board member, had supported the medal's establishment. “The concept behind this award, and Starmus being entrusted with organising it, is Jane’s,” a representative said. “Her desire was that she wanted for this to occur. This is likely due to the unique bond she had with us.”

“This medal will acknowledge ongoing initiatives undertaken to create a planet improved for people, animals and the environment and provide encouragement for the continuation that work,” said a family member.

Structure and Vision

A co-founder of Starmus noted that the medal – which was announced at a scientific institution – will likely include several divisions.

“The intent is for it to be inspired by the Stephen Hawking award honoring scientific outreach that we created a decade past,” he explained. Goodall was a recipient of that very medal.

Expressing concern about the future of the planet, a prominent voice stated, “Frankly, it’s very hard to be optimistic. The current political climate in one major nation is conducting a war on science. This situation undermines global initiatives.”

“In truth, the situation appears very good therefore we must begin to thinking again, with greater urgency about the consequences of human activity. This concern encompasses not only climate change, but also the entire manner in which we interact with the natural world.”

Following an Example

Consequently, observers believe it was an opportune moment to emulate her guiding principles. “It is believed that when we’re awarding this medal, the focus will be on this core philosophy of Jane’s – which made her priority, to transform how we regard wildlife with which we share the planet.”

A major topic today is the proliferation of false information. The focus of next year’s festival will be “the search for truth”.

“We realised that factual reality is becoming a subject of discussion where political interests are involved. This is a very dangerous thing,” he commented. “Climate research remains a scientific discipline; it is impossible to allow interference by political agendas in climate science.”

Hope and Determination

The hope is that this honor can motivate concrete steps. “It’s about motivating others to engage and to show concern and to strive toward these goals, really. Whether or not we feel hopeful, we have to look at doing all that is possible,” a statement concluded. “Accept the possibility of failure, yet we must continue striving toward success.”

A family member involved in conservation work expressed optimism that “with guidance and when empowered, people can be responsible caretakers of Earth”, citing the initiatives of an institute that, in addition to its projects, empowers the youth get involved locally, animals, and environment.

“As Jane Goodall repeatedly reminded us, the choices we make each day make a difference 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 offer support and increase understanding about the positive actions currently in progress.”