🔗 Share this article

Earth is under pressure, yet there is hope. A novel accolade from the science, music and arts festival the Starmus festival will inspire people to make a difference.

The medal will honor in honour of the esteemed scientist and conservationist who died recently. It will recognise individuals and groups that advocate for our planet's biodiversity.

Award Details

The inaugural winners are slated for announcement during the Starmus VIII festival in the Canary Islands, which will run from October 17th to 22nd the coming year.

According to statements that Jane Goodall, who was a Starmus advisory board member, had endorsed the award’s creation. “The concept of having this medal, and Starmus being entrusted with organising it, was Jane's wish,” a representative said. “Her desire was she would like for this to occur. This is likely due to the unique connection she shared with the festival.”

“This medal will recognize sustainable programmes undertaken to build an environment improved for all living beings and ecosystems and provide encouragement to continue such efforts,” commented a relative.

Structure and Vision

A co-founder of the festival noted that the medal – which was announced at a scientific institution – would probably encompass various fields.

“It will be inspired by the Stephen Hawking medal honoring scientific outreach that we created a decade past,” it was explained. Jane Goodall was an honoree of that award.

Sharing thoughts about the future of the planet, a prominent voice stated, “Frankly, it's challenging to be optimistic. Certain policies in one major nation represents a war on science. This situation undermines collective action.”

“Realistically, things don’t look very good so we have to really start thinking again, much more seriously regarding the impact of our actions. This concern encompasses not only climate change, but also the entire manner that we treat nature.”

Inspiring Change

Therefore, it was noted this is a good time to emulate her guiding principles. “It is believed that in bestowing the prize, the focus will be on this core philosophy that Jane embodied – that was her priority, to transform the way we treat the other animals with which we share the planet.”

Another key issue currently is the proliferation of misinformation. The central topic of next year’s festival is set as “the pursuit of factual understanding”.

“It has become apparent that factual reality has become a subject of discussion when politics are involved. This is a perilous development,” he commented. “The climate science is a science; it is impossible to have any influence by political agendas in climate science.”

Optimism and Resolve

The aspiration remains that the medal will spur positive change. “It’s about encouraging people to engage and to show concern and to strive toward these goals, truly. Regardless of if we’re optimistic, we have to look at doing our utmost,” it was added. “Be prepared for failure, but you still have to work towards succeeding.”

A descendant engaged in conservation work shared confidence that “given direction and when empowered, humans are capable of being diligent stewards of our planet”, citing the initiatives of an institute which, in addition to its projects, assists the next generation get involved with their community, animals, and the natural world.

“As Jane Goodall constantly emphasized, our daily actions have an impact and it is up to us what type of impact we choose to create,” he said. “It is not too late and this medal will give encouragement and increase understanding about constructive efforts that are being undertaken.”