Our planet is on fire and our ecosystem is in danger!

As climate change is starting to affect us all, it’s catastrophic in the areas where our help and attention are most needed. This year has been especially rough for wildlife in the Amazon rainforest and all over Australia. Roughly 3 million plant and animal species live in the Amazon alone. That’s 1/10 of all animal species on this planet! Australia is still burning with no relief of steady temperatures in the mid-upper 40’s C (115°-120°F) this week! Unbelievable. While some humans lose their homes and everything in it — which is rough enough — thousands of plants and animals are dying and several species are heading toward extinction. Some animals can cover a lot of ground and escape during the raging fires. Big fast cats like the jaguar, have the best chance. Adult birds can also fly away. And slow animals, like the sloth and koala, reptiles and insects haven’t got a chance and end up getting burned alive. As of December 9th, an estimated 2,000 koalas have died. Already considered threatened and even functionally extinct on top of losing 1/3 of their habitat on the north coast, the koala is facing a mass extinction. The burned areas are also useless for those animals who have survived. Sad thing, non-human animal refugees are treated with even more hostility from their own species than human refugees. The future is not looking bright for wildlife these days and it’s up to humans to help save and protect them. Because we’re the only chance they have for survival.

Help seems so far away.

Or is it? One brave woman named Toni, went into the fires to save koalas. Residents are coming together to help however they can. Firefighters are risking their lives every single day to help save precious wildlife. And many people are starting to eat less meat after finding out the truth about why the fires in the Amazon region were set in the first place: To clear more land for cattle. Brazil exports more beef than any other country, close to 20% of the global exports according to the USDA. So, if you want to help, but aren’t physically there to be able to be active, you can donate to a wildlife rescue organization and eat consciously.

Every dollar spent and every vegan meal eaten helps.

Compassionate leadership and politicians who care

After an entire year of daily reports about climate change and hundreds of thousands of caring individuals taking it to the streets, it’s clear we need the help of our government officials to act responsibly and in our best interest. Because we, the people, can’t save all life on Earth alone. Laws need to be set in place in order to be carbon neutral and curb the craziness. Since the UN Climate Change Conference COP25 in Madrid fell flat in its face this past Sunday, I realized our work has only just begun, even though it started 50 years ago. I till have faith though because we have the power, influence, resources and money to take appropriate climate action. Some administrations and politicians are trying real hard though. Despite all the resistance and death threats, so let’s honor them this year too! Here’s a list of cities and officials working toward a better future.

Compassionate leadership is effective leadership. If you want to create change, vote for compassionate leaders.