🔗 Share this article The Jane Goodall Earth Medal Will Honor Those Striving to Improve the Planet. The world could be facing challenges, yet optimism persists. A new award from the science, music and arts festival the Starmus festival will encourage the public to take action. A gathering related to the Starmus festival. The medal will be given in honour of the celebrated British primatologist who died recently. It will recognise those who protect life on Earth. Award Details Initial honorees are expected to be announced during the upcoming Starmus event in Tenerife and La Palma, scheduled from 17–22 October next year. According to statements that Goodall, who was a Starmus advisory board member, had backed the medal's establishment. “The vision of having this award, and the festival being tasked with organising it, is Jane’s,” a representative said. “She expressed she would like for this to occur. And I think because of the close bond she shared with the festival.” “The Starmus Jane Goodall Earth medal will recognize sustainable programmes undertaken to make our world a better place for people, animals and the environment and offer support to carry on such efforts,” said a family member. Format and Inspiration One of the founders of the festival noted that the medal – which was announced at a prestigious venue – will likely encompass various fields. “It will be inspired by the Stephen Hawking medal for science communication established exactly 10 years ago,” he explained. Goodall was an honoree of that very medal. Expressing concern on the outlook of the planet, a prominent voice stated, “To be truthful, it is difficult to maintain optimism. Present governance globally represents an assault on knowledge. So this really cripples the world’s efforts.” “Realistically, the situation appears very good which means we need to really start reflecting, more deeply about the consequences of our actions. And that’s not just climate change, but also the entire manner in which we interact with the natural world.” A Call to Action Therefore, observers believe this is an opportune moment to honor Goodall’s example. “I think that when we’re awarding the prize, the focus will be on this core philosophy of Jane’s – which made her priority, to transform the way we treat the other animals with which we share the planet.” A pressing concern currently is the proliferation of false information. The focus of the upcoming festival is set as “the search for truth”. “It has become apparent that factual reality is becoming a subject of discussion when politics are involved. This is an alarming trend,” he commented. “Climate research remains a scientific discipline; it is impossible to allow interference by political agendas in climate science.” Hope and Determination The aspiration remains that the medal will inspire concrete steps. “It’s about encouraging people to get involved and to care and to work toward these goals, truly. Whether or not we’re optimistic, we have to look at doing our utmost,” a statement concluded. “Be prepared for setbacks, but you still have to work to achieve positive outcomes.” A family member involved in environmental protection shared optimism that “given direction and when empowered, humanity can be responsible caretakers of our planet”, highlighting the work of a foundation that, among its other activities, helps young people become engaged locally, animals, and the natural world. “As my late grandmother repeatedly reminded us, our daily actions have an impact and it is up to us what type of impact we choose to create,” he said. “We still have an opportunity and this medal will offer support and raise awareness about beneficial initiatives currently in progress.”