Celebrities React to the Australian Bushfires

Capturing the attention of millions on social media, the Australian Bushfires have been rapidly incinerating everything in its path. Here’s what you can do to help!

  • Author: Kevin Ponce

Since September, Australia has been engulfed in flames, burning a large portion of the country. Four out of the six states in Australia have been severely affected by the blazes. It has been destroying land, homes, wildlife and air quality, all at the same time. Cities such as Canberra and Penrith (a suburb in New South Wales) have been receiving attention for its red skies and dangerously hot temperatures, reaching a record high temperature of 110.48 and 120.02 degrees (Fahrenheit) respectively. Canberra specifically has been stated to have the worst air quality than any other major city in the world, due to the amount of smoke produced from the flames.

Some key facts to take note of:

  • More than 12 million acres of land across New Wales, Victoria and South Australia have been completely burned through.
  • According to NBC, the bushfires have taken the lives of at least 24 people since September.
  • The wildlife that exists in Australia has suffered immensely due to the flames, taking the lives of an estimated half-billion animals.
  • More than 2,000 homes have been destroyed with many more under threat, causing statewide evacuations of residents and tourists.

Celebrities from around the world have taken notice and are pledging action amongst their followers.

Singer P!nk has donated $500k to help aid the local volunteer fire services that are containing the fires.

Nicole Kidman & Keith Urban have also spoken out about the flames, donating $500k to the NSW Rural Fire Services, the largest volunteer fire service in the world.

The Royal Family have issued statements regarding the bushfires, urging their followers to support the fire services that are doing their best to contain the flames.

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Our thoughts and prayers are with those across Australia who are continuing to face the devastating fires that have been raging for months. From areas we are personally connected to such as the communities and people we visited in New South Wales in 2018, to the fires in California and parts of Africa, we are struck by the increasingly overlapping presence of these environmental disasters, including of course the destruction of the Amazon which continues. This global environmental crisis has now been described as Ecocide. It’s easy to feel helpless, but there’s always a way to help. To find out how you can lend your support, please see the links below to help as we have. https://fundraise.redcross.org.au/drr (@redcrossau) https://www.rfs.nsw.gov.au/about-us/fundraising (@nswrfs) https://www.cfa.vic.gov.au/about/supporting-cfa#donate-cfa Photo © @nswrfs / @dale_appleton / Jay Elai

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& many more celebs are using their platform for good, posting the heartbreaking images of the destruction and donating funds to fire services all over Australia.

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#Regram #RG @gretathunberg: Australia is on fire. And the summer there has only just begun. 2019 was a year of record heat and record drought. Today the temperature outside Sydney was 48,9°C. 500 million (!!) animals are estimated dead because of the bushfires. Over 20 people have died and thousands of homes have burned to ground. The fires have spewed 2/3 of the nations national annual CO2 emissions, according to the Sydney Morning Herald. The smoke has covered glaciers in distant New Zealand (!) making them warm and melt faster because of the albedo effect. And yet. All of this still has not resulted in any political action. Because we still fail to make the connection between the climate crisis and increased extreme weather events and nature disasters like the #AustraliaFires That has to change. And it has to change now. My thoughts are with the people of Australia and those affected by these devastating fires.

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Imagine being this little boy escaping to the water—the only safe place for hundreds of kilometres, watching your house, town & country burn. Had this have happened 10 years ago this would have been me. Watching my home burn from across the sea I feel helpless but there are ways we can all help. The fact that it was hottest year and driest year in Australian history is a major catalyst for this disaster. The warming of the earth and the current imbalance of nature due to human activity is the underlying issue here. We’ve seen far too many extreme natural disasters in such a short period of time to be able to prove otherwise. Climate change is real & we must DEMAND world leaders who prioritize the earth over economics. Scott Morrison I’m looking at you right now! Please respect nature. Especially the nature under your watch. Putting a donation link in my bio & story today.

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The pictures you are about to see are from the #AustralianBushFires which have to date claimed the lives of Australian natives with many others missing. These fires that have spread & burned over 15 million acres (3 times the amount of the California fires we experienced) all over the continent have also claimed the lives of over 480 million animals. This is both heartbreaking & tragic !!! For more information, simply type “Australian Bush Fires” in google & do your own research on how or who to contact in efforts to help the Aussie people in their time of need. I myself chose the @redcrossau. There are other relief efforts you may find and I’m sure any & all help will be greatly appreciated….. but this is the one I was comfortable donating to. I have a huge Australian fan base & they’ve supported me throughout my career so it is only right I support them in their time of despair. Please #PrayForAustraila ??

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HERE’S WHAT YOU CAN DO TO HELP

Pledge a donation to several fire and rescue services that are still fighting the Australian Bushfires. Please see the links below.

NSW Rural Fire Service

Australian Red Cross

The Salvation Army Australia 

CFA (Country Fire Authority)

SA Country Fire Service

Queensland Fire and Emergency Services – QFES

Every donation matters.

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