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The world could be under strain, however a sense of hope remains. A new award originating at the science, music and arts festival the Starmus festival will motivate individuals to act.

The medal is to be awarded to pay tribute to the esteemed scientist and conservationist who died this year. It seeks to acknowledge individuals and groups that advocate for the natural world.

Honoring a Legacy

The first recipients are slated for announcement during the Starmus VIII festival in the Canary Islands, scheduled from October 17th to 22nd the coming year.

It was shared that Jane Goodall, a former member of the festival's board, had endorsed the award’s creation. “The vision behind this medal, and Starmus being entrusted to oversee it, was Jane's wish,” a statement said. “She said that she wanted for this to occur. This is likely due to the unique bond she had with us.”

“This medal will acknowledge sustainable programmes carried out to build an environment a better place for all living beings and ecosystems and offer support to carry on such efforts,” commented a relative.

Structure and Vision

A co-founder of the festival noted that the medal – unveiled at a scientific institution – would probably have multiple categories.

“The intent is for it to be modeled after the Stephen Hawking medal for science communication that we created a decade past,” he explained. Goodall was an honoree of that award.

Sharing thoughts on the outlook of the planet, a prominent voice said, “Honestly, it is difficult to feel hopeful. The current political climate in one major nation is conducting an assault on knowledge. So this significantly hampers global initiatives.”

“To be honest, the prospects aren't very good therefore we must begin to thinking again, with greater urgency about the consequences of human activity. And that’s not just global warming, that’s the entire manner that we treat our environment.”

A Call to Action

As a result, observers believe this is a good time to honor Jane Goodall's legacy. “I think that when we’re awarding the prize, we will be considering this core philosophy that Jane embodied – which made her foremost concern, to change how we regard the other animals with which we share the planet.”

A major topic at present was highlighted of disinformation. The central topic of the upcoming festival is set as “the pursuit of factual understanding”.

“We realised that factual reality is becoming contested when politics are involved. This is an alarming trend,” it was said. “Climate research is a science; you cannot have any influence by political agendas in this field.”

Optimism and Resolve

The goal remains that the medal will spur positive change. “It’s about motivating others to engage and to show concern and to work in that direction, really. Whether or not we feel hopeful, we have to look at doing all that is possible,” it was added. “Accept the possibility of failure, but you still continue striving to achieve positive outcomes.”

A descendant involved in conservation work shared confidence that “with guidance and when empowered, humanity are capable of being responsible caretakers of our planet”, citing the work of an institute which, among its other activities, empowers the youth get involved with their community, wildlife, and environment.

“As my late grandmother constantly emphasized, the choices we make each day make a difference and it is up to us what type of impact we make,” he said. “We still have an opportunity and this medal will give encouragement and increase understanding about constructive efforts that are being undertaken.”