Turns out, the rock gods of the Starmus Festival — the same folks who regularly smash together science and art — just cooked up a new award. It's called the Jane Goodall Earth Medal, and its first recipient is none other than Christiana Figueres, the force behind the Paris climate agreement.
Figueres, who used to run the UN's climate change convention, called Goodall an "absolute giant" and said getting the first medal in her name was an "unbelievable honor." Which, if you think about it, is a pretty high bar to clear for any award.
The Starmus Festival, set to dazzle Tenerife, Spain, from October 17-22, is all about "The Search for Truth" this year. Because apparently, that's where we are now: needing a whole festival to remind us to look for it.
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Start Your News DetoxAstrophysicist Garik Israelian, a co-founder of Starmus, let slip that the idea for the medal came from his rather star-studded advisory board. We're talking Brian May, the legendary guitarist from Queen (who's also deeply involved in animal protection with his "Save Me" foundation), and musician Peter Gabriel, a human rights advocate who happens to know Jane Goodall personally.
So, if you ever wondered what happens when rock legends, climate diplomats, and astrophysicists walk into a room, apparently, they invent a new medal. And given the names involved, it's probably going to make some serious waves.
