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The world might be under pressure, but optimism persists. A new award from the science, music and arts festival the Starmus festival will motivate people to act.

This new Earth medal bearing Jane Goodall's name is to be awarded in honour of the renowned British primatologist who died recently. It is designed to celebrate those who advocate for life on Earth.

Honoring a Legacy

Initial honorees are expected to be announced during the Starmus VIII festival in the Canary Islands, which will run from 17–22 October the coming year.

Reports indicate that Goodall, who was a Starmus advisory board member, had backed the medal's establishment. “The idea behind this award, and the festival being tasked to oversee it, is Jane’s,” a representative said. “Her desire was she would like for this to occur. And I think because of the close relationship she shared with us.”

“The Starmus Jane Goodall Earth medal aims to highlight enduring projects carried out to build an environment a better place for all living beings and ecosystems 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 have multiple categories.

“It’s going to be modeled after the Stephen Hawking medal honoring scientific outreach that we created a decade past,” it was explained. Jane Goodall was a recipient of that very medal.

Sharing thoughts about the future for Earth, one figure stated, “Frankly, it’s very hard to be optimistic. The current political climate globally represents a war on science. This situation significantly hampers collective action.”

“In truth, things don’t look very good so we have to really start thinking again, with greater urgency about the consequences of human activity. And that’s not just global warming, but also the whole way in which we interact with the natural world.”

A Call to Action

Consequently, it was noted this is an opportune moment to emulate 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 foremost concern, to transform the way we treat the other animals around us.”

Another key issue at present involves the spread of disinformation. The theme of the upcoming festival will be “the search for truth”.

“It has become apparent that factual reality is becoming a matter of debate where political interests is involved. And it’s an alarming trend,” it was said. “Climate research is a science; it is impossible to allow interference from politics in this field.”

Hope and Determination

The aspiration is that this honor can motivate positive change. “It’s about encouraging people to get involved and to show concern and to strive in that direction, really. Whether or not we’re optimistic, we have to focus on doing our utmost,” it was added. “Accept the possibility of failure, yet we must have to work towards succeeding.”

A descendant involved in environmental protection shared optimism that “given direction and when empowered, humanity are capable of being diligent stewards of Earth”, citing the initiatives of an institute that, among its other activities, assists the next generation get involved with their community, wildlife, and environment.

“As my late grandmother constantly emphasized, the choices we make each day are significant and it is up to us the kind of difference we make,” he said. “There is still time and this medal will offer support and increase understanding about beneficial initiatives currently in progress.”