If you've been on social media or living on earth for the past few weeks you've probably heard about the rising situation happening in Australia.
Devastating fires, tearing Australia apart from every side of their country, wiping out everything in its path, including the loss of lives- both people and wildlife. It might be happening thousands of miles away but that doesn't mean it doesn't affect you.
"It's okay not to understand climate change, it's not okay to deny it."
So, what's been going on?
We all know Australia is known for its heat but this year they hit a record high, in addition to a severe drought and as a result the Country is experiencing gruesome fires all over their land. These fires, which began back in September, which scientists argue are consistent with climate change. Blazes raging in South New Wales along with other states have so far suffered a lost of more than 20 human lives as well as up to half a billion animals (including my absolute favorite, #SaveTheKoalas), leading to rumors and fears of extinction. Koalas were declared functionally distinct in November and as these fires rage on more and more species of wildlife are being burned to ashes, destined to be forgotten to our ancestors in the years to come.
Yes, these are frightening and frustrating facts, but there are still so many people denying the correlation between the rise of these forest fires and the inevitable climate change happening on our planet. I'm not one for politics, I never really was but I have to say, this is no longer a political issue. We all live on this planet and sooner or later the issues will reach us (if they haven't already). Australia emitting half of the countries annual CO2 emissions, burning more than 14 million acres in land, and Sydney's air quality measuring 11 times the "hazardous" level is the Earth screaming out HELP.
So, what can I do to help?
You've probably seen the posts, the sad videos, the stories- one of which made me ball like a baby and clear out my bank account with a donation (I'll attach it below). But most sharing these posts are pretty ambigious with information on how to donate or how to help. Below are 5 organizations accepting donations along with a GoFundME created by influencers (like Flume) from Australia who pledge to split the contributions evenly between 6 great services.
World Wildlife Fund Australia: The organization protects species in the region and is especially dedicated to koala conversation.
Australian Red Cross Disaster Recovery and Relief: Donations go to recovery programs, emergency assistance, community preparation, training of volunteers, and more.
Salvation Army Disaster Appeal: Financial contributions help provide meals and support to first responders in the crisis.
St. Vincent de Paul Society: Your donations go to food for families who have been evacuated and supplies for anyone who has lost their home.
New South Wales Rural Fire Service: The organization is accepting financial contributions as well as donations for the families of volunteer firefighters who lost their lives in the fires.
Aussie Influencer for Australia: "We selected 6 charities covering humanitarian and animal welfare initiatives (3 each) across Australia that we feel have not had as much support as some of the other charities."
Tight on money but still want to help? Share this post or other posts like this to show your support and bring more awareness to this devastating situation. You might just be one person but look at what we can do when we all stand together.
I love reading your posts. They have great resources