It was another shining moment on YouTube as gamer JackSepticEye set another fundraising record!
In under four hours, he raised a whopping $200,000 for the Australian bushfires.
The gamer – real name Seán William McLoughlin – took to his channel for a charity live stream, and his 23 million fans responded.
“That was one of the craziest streams we’ve EVER done,” McLoughlin tweeted Sunday. “$200,000 raised in 4 hours is absolute insanity and I am incredibly grateful! You’re all so generous and loving, the world needs that!”
Today he was still amazed.
“Still blown away from yesterday’s stream, can’t believe how successful it was,” he tweeted. “Don’t forget though that the link is open and the merch is available for a week. So there’s still time to give!”
[READ: Lucifer’s Tom Ellis Raises Funds For Australia’s Bushfires]
You can watch the amazing four hour telethon below:
I guess $150,000 was simple for you guys too so let’s do one better. $200,000 GOAL! Let’s crush it! #koalateelove https://t.co/TpMB1cXDot
— Jacksepticeye (@Jack_Septic_Eye) January 25, 2020
The fires are a direct result of changing climate patterns across the earth.
Australian National University climate scientist Imran Ahmed said there was a direct link “because what climate change does is exacerbate the conditions in which the bushfires happen.”
Glenda Wardle, an ecologist from the University of Sydney, added: “It’s not every weather event that is the direct result of climate change. But when you see trends, it becomes undeniably linked to global climate change.”
Unseasonably high temperatures and drought over the last three months have contributed to the conditions that have allowed the fires to proliferate.
“One of the key drivers of fire intensity, fire spread rates and fire area is temperature. And in Australia we’ve just experienced record high temperatures,” said Mark Howden, director of the Climate Change Institute at Australian National University.
Parts of the country are bathed in red due to the massive fires.
Red sky above Mallacoota in East Gippsland, Victoria.
A report by the Australian Government’s Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) said that last Spring, there was the highest fire weather danger with record high values right across the country.
The wildfires are among the worst to hit Australia since the so-called Black Saturday fires in 2009 which killed 173 people.
The impact on wildlife continues to be felt, with with the University of Sydney estimating that as many as a billion mammals, birds and reptiles have perished.
The group Wildlife Rescue (WIRES) said that the flames have devastated numbers of koalas, possums, kangaroos and wallabies.
“We have lost countless precious lives in these fires and many more are likely to die of their injuries and starvation. The fire affected areas are vast and remote.
“Our beautiful and diverse World Heritage listed National Parks which provide our native wildlife with their best protections have been devastated,” said Vickii Lett, WIRES NSW Koala coordinator.
Fires hit every Australian state, claiming 24 lives and destroying almost 2,000 homes.
Numerous celebrities have been raising awareness and donating their own money to help deal with the crisis,
Lucifer star Tom Ellis has spearheaded a GoFundMe effort that has raised over $90K.
