Our planet is under strain, however a sense of hope remains. A new award from the science, music and arts festival Starmus will inspire individuals to make a difference.
The Starmus Jane Goodall Earth medal will be given to pay tribute to the esteemed scientist and conservationist who passed away this year. It will recognise individuals and groups that advocate for the natural world.
The inaugural winners are expected to be announced during the Starmus VIII festival in Tenerife and La Palma, which will run from October 17th to 22nd next year.
According to statements that Goodall, who was a member of the festival's board, had endorsed the medal's establishment. “The idea behind this medal, and the festival being tasked to oversee it, originated with Jane,” a representative said. “She said that she wanted for this to occur. And I think due to the very special relationship she had with the festival.”
“The Starmus Jane Goodall Earth medal will acknowledge ongoing initiatives carried out to create a planet a better place for all living beings and ecosystems and foster motivation to carry on such efforts,” commented a relative.
One of the founders of Starmus 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 for science communication that we created a decade past,” it was explained. Jane Goodall was an honoree of that very medal.
Sharing thoughts about the future of the planet, one figure remarked, “Honestly, it is difficult to be optimistic. Certain policies in one major nation is conducting a dismissal of evidence. This situation significantly hampers global initiatives.”
“Realistically, things don’t look very good which means we need to really start reflecting, more deeply regarding the impact of our actions. This concern encompasses not only global warming, but also the entire manner that we treat the natural world.”
Therefore, it was noted it was a good time to emulate Goodall’s example. “It is believed that when we’re awarding the prize, we will be considering this essential spirit of Jane’s – which made her foremost concern, to transform our relationship with wildlife around us.”
A major topic at present is the proliferation of misinformation. The theme of next year’s Starmus festival will be “the search for truth”.
“It has become apparent that factual reality is becoming contested when politics is involved. And it’s an alarming trend,” he commented. “Climate research remains a scientific discipline; it is impossible to allow interference from politics in climate science.”
The aspiration remains that this honor will spur concrete steps. “The purpose is motivating others to engage and to care and to work toward these goals, really. Whether or not we’re optimistic, we have to focus on doing the best we can,” it was added. “Accept the possibility of failure, yet we must continue striving toward success.”
A family member involved in conservation work expressed optimism that “given direction and once enabled, humans are capable of being conscientious guardians of Earth”, pointing to the initiatives of an institute that, among its other activities, assists the next generation become engaged with their community, wildlife, and the natural world.
“As Jane Goodall constantly emphasized, our daily actions are significant and it is up to us what type of impact we make,” he said. “It is not too late and this medal will offer support and increase understanding about beneficial initiatives currently in progress.”
Milan is een ervaren opticien met een passie voor visuele technologie en klantgerichtheid.
