YouTuber PewDiePie has donated $1,600 towards Australia’s bushfire services, as blazes continue to devastate various parts of the country.
In his latest video, You Laugh You DONATE, PewDiePie – real name Felix Arvid Ulf Kjellberg – set himself the challenge of watching a series of silly memes and viral clips without cracking up.
The 30-year-old internet comedian pledged to donate $1 (£0.76) towards the ongoing efforts to address the Australian bushfire crisis each time he laughed. Fortunately, plenty of daft clips appeared to tickle PewDiePie’s funny bone, adding up to a grand total of 19 laughs.
You can watch PewDiePie’s ‘You Laugh You DONATE’ vid below:
Addressing his 102 million subscribers, PewDiePie kicked off the video by explaining the premise of the challenge:
I’m feeling very generous today, so therefore if I laugh I will donate $1 for every laugh. I know, I know. I’m a giving man!
The YouTube sensation then proceeded to feast his eyes on a number of lighthearted memes and vids, which included the now famous clip of newsreader Adam Boulton mocking former PM David Cameron for ‘talking to a tree’.
Other vids which got PewDiePie chuckling included a group of rats eating rubbish close to the Eiffel Tower, as well as Ricky Gervais roasting celebs at the Golden Globes.
Concluding the video, PewDiePie said:
Now I feel like a douchebag. I’ll donate $1,600 (£1,200) to the Wildfire Emergency Appeal. […] Save Australia! It’s on fire!
Money raised through the Australia Bushfire Emergency fund will go towards helping the World Wildlife Fund’s (WWF) Australian teams carry out various work alongside local organisations.
This work includes funding emergency care for injured wildlife, as well as helping to restore homes for affected wildlife after the blazes clear; planting the first 10,000 trees in scorched koala habitats.
As well as offering support to response, recovery and restoration teams, the WWF will also work to pressure governments to strengthen laws preventing excessive tree-clearing.
According to a statement on the WWF website:
The fires in Australia are devastating – and the crisis is still ongoing.
More than 8 million hectares have been burnt, and this number continues to climb. That’s the equivalent of one third of the entire UK.
Lives, homes, and up to one billion animals have been affected, including 30% of the entire koala population in mid-north coast of New South Wales. These catastrophic megafires are worsening the extinction crisis we’re already facing.
Our thoughts are with the people of Australia as they continue to face this ongoing crisis.
You can donate to the Australia Bushfire Emergency fund for yourself here.
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Jules studied English Literature with Creative Writing at Lancaster University before earning her masters in International Relations at Leiden University in The Netherlands (Hoi!). She then trained as a journalist through News Associates in Manchester. Jules has previously worked as a mental health blogger, copywriter and freelancer for various publications.