A select group of charity-minded comedy professionals came together for a fantastic cause in downtown Los Angeles on Sunday night, as The Novo, one of the trendiest nightclubs in Los Angeles’ bustling new L.A. Live area downtown, played host to the Stand Up for Australian Fires benefit show, an incredible night of comedy hosted by Joe Rogan, Jim Jefferies and Whitney Cummings for an incredibly important cause.
LA-based, Boston-born comedian Joe Rogan – Image courtesy of New York Times
The devastation caused by the Australian wildfires has been some of the most catastrophic in the nation’s history, with infernos and raging winds creating a makeshift hellscape, the likes of which has not been seen for decades. According to CNN, the fires had already claimed 28 lives by January 13th, with more than 3,000 residents of just the New South Wales region alone displaced from their homes.
The Australian wildfires, which have caused untold devastation to the ecosystem – Image courtesy of The Nation
The fires have had horrifically detrimental effects on the local wildlife population as well. According to this article from Vox, one biodiversity expert reports over one billion animal lives lost amidst the inferno, which has been exacerbated by the effects of climate change. The koala population, already a species targeted by conservation groups for being “at-risk”, has been devastated even further, and many koalas that escape the blaze will still be at risk for starvation due to the fires eradicating so much of the Outback’s edible grasses and foliage.
Australia’s own Jim Jefferies – Image courtesy of JimJefferies.com
It is hard to fathom just how impactful the lasting damage done by these fires will ultimately be, but one thing that seems painfully clear is that it will take a massive amount of time, energy, money, and additional resources to help pick up the pieces. As a result, it is encouraging to see personalities like Rogan, Jefferies, and Cummings lending their name recognition to the cause. Destruction of this scale will not be fixed overnight, and it cannot be fixed without help. But as long as humanitarian-minded individuals continue to actively choose to use their powers for good, at least we can hopefully be encouraged that things are going to get better.
Los Angeles-based comic Whitney Cummings – Image courtesy of The Independent
For more information on how you can help support the relief efforts, check out this resource page from PBS.
