The Jane Goodall Earth Medal Will Recognise Individuals Acting to Improve the World.

Our planet is under pressure, yet there is hope. A novel accolade from the interdisciplinary festival Starmus will encourage the public to take action.

This new Earth medal bearing Jane Goodall's name is to be awarded in memory of the esteemed British primatologist who passed away recently. It seeks to acknowledge individuals and groups that protect our planet's biodiversity.

The Medal's Framework

The first recipients are expected to be announced at the upcoming Starmus event in Tenerife and La Palma, scheduled from October 17th to 22nd next year.

Reports indicate that Goodall, who was a member of the festival's board, had endorsed the award’s creation. “The idea behind this medal, and Starmus being entrusted to oversee it, was Jane's wish,” a statement said. “She expressed that she wanted for this to occur. And I think due to the very special relationship she shared with the festival.”

“This medal will acknowledge ongoing initiatives carried out to create a planet improved for all living beings and ecosystems and foster motivation to continue that work,” said a family member.

Structure and Vision

One of the founders of Starmus indicated that the medal – which was announced at a scientific institution – will likely include several divisions.

“It’s going to be modeled after the Stephen Hawking medal honoring scientific outreach established exactly 10 years ago,” he explained. Goodall was a recipient of that very medal.

Sharing thoughts on the outlook of the planet, one figure said, “To be truthful, it’s very hard to be optimistic. The current political climate globally is conducting a dismissal of evidence. This situation significantly hampers collective action.”

“In truth, things don’t look particularly bright which means we need to begin to thinking again, much more seriously about the consequences of human activity. And that’s not just climate change, that’s the entire manner that we treat nature.”

A Call to Action

As a result, observers believe this is a good time to honor her guiding principles. “I think that when we’re awarding this medal, we will be considering this essential spirit of Jane’s – which made her foremost concern, to change the way we treat wildlife with which we share the planet.”

A pressing concern at present involves the spread of disinformation. The theme of the upcoming festival will be “the pursuit of factual understanding”.

“We realised that truth has become contested when politics are involved. This is a perilous development,” it was said. “The climate science is a science; you cannot allow interference by political agendas in climate science.”

Optimism and Resolve

The aspiration is that this honor will spur positive change. “The purpose is motivating others to participate and to care and to work toward these goals, really. Regardless of if we feel hopeful, we have to look at doing the best we can,” a statement concluded. “Be prepared for setbacks, but you still continue striving to achieve positive outcomes.”

A descendant engaged in environmental protection expressed confidence that “given direction and once enabled, humans are capable of being diligent stewards of Earth”, highlighting the programs of a foundation which, in addition to its projects, helps young people get involved locally, animals, and the natural world.

“As my late grandmother constantly reminded us, the choices we make each day are significant and the responsibility lies with us what type of impact we choose to create,” he said. “We still have an opportunity and the Starmus Jane Goodall Earth medal will provide inspiration and increase understanding regarding constructive efforts currently in progress.”