---
title: "‘We are vulnerable’: demand for drought aid rises as El Niño takes hold in Queensland"
description: "‘We are vulnerable’: demand for drought aid rises as El Niño takes hold in Queensland. Rural Aid charity says requests for mental health support, financial counselling and emergency livestock feed doubles in a month."
---
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# ‘We are vulnerable’: demand for drought aid rises as El Niño takes hold in Queensland
Wednesday, 11 October 2023
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‘We are vulnerable’: demand for drought aid rises as El Niño takes hold in Queensland. Rural Aid charity says requests for mental health support, financial counselling and emergency livestock feed doubles in a month.
Billions of people could struggle to survive in periods of deadly, humid heat within this century as temperatures rise, particularly in some of the world's largest cities, from Delhi to Shanghai, according to research published on Monday. "It's very disturbing," study co-author Matthew Huber of Purdue University in the U.S. state of Indiana told Reuters. "It's going to send a lot of people to emergency medical care."
New fish species named Lady Elliot shrimp goby discovered on Great Barrier Reef. It may be tiny, but this fish – the first completely new species found on the Great Barrier Reef since 2019 – is causing a stir among marine biologists that far outweighs its size. "It's a really positive and exciting story for biodiversity.” that we know there's still more out there for us to discover," Christine Dudgeon said.
**Top stories**
[‘We are vulnerable’: demand for drought aid rises as El Niño takes hold in Queensland](https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2023/oct/11/queensland-drought-summer-farmers-emergency-rural-aid)
Rural Aid charity says requests for mental health support, financial counselling and emergency livestock feed doubles in a month. Rural Aid charity says requests for mental health support, financial counselling and emergency livestock feed doubles in a month. Demand for emergency rural aid is rising as farmers face a dry and unproductive summer ahead.
[**Climate change: Study warns deadly humid heat could hit billions as wet-bulb temperatures soar**](https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/world/2023/10/climate-change-study-warns-deadly-humid-heat-could-hit-billions-as-wet-bulb-temperatures-soar.html)
Billions of people could struggle to survive in periods of deadly, humid heat within this century as temperatures rise, particularly in some of the world's largest cities, from Delhi to Shanghai, according to research published on Monday.
[**New fish species named Lady Elliot shrimp goby discovered on Great Barrier Reef**](https://app.meltwater.com/mwTransition?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.abc.net.au%2Fnews%2F2023-10-10%2Fnew-fish-species-found-on-great-barrier-reef%2F102955900&urlCategories=newsLtd&analytics=false&documentId=4ULxd1BeIskg2pGdWTFV0WqcWG4&transitionToken=eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGciOiJIUzUxMiJ9.eyJob3N0bmFtZSI6Ind3dy5hYmMubmV0LmF1In0.G6KfJQf9DTg3BPfDRnL8aNk-KGOfbZc12czKSTcqj9BstN0qGFyj-TGroGNT_097qH1_WRMtfq5v4vGs7BrXgQ)
It may be tiny, but this fish – the first completely new species found on the Great Barrier Reef since 2019 – is causing a stir among marine biologists that far outweighs its size. "It's a really positive and exciting story for biodiversity that we know there's still more out there for us to discover," Christine Dudgeon said
[**Failure to address climate issues will raise household bills say researchers**](https://www.rnz.co.nz/national/programmes/morningreport/audio/2018910423/failure-to-address-climate-issues-will-raise-household-bills-say-researchers)
Voters may be focussed on the cost of living, but climate groups say failing to look at climate policies will raise household bills as well. Researchers say every aspect of life will be affected, without urgent emissions cuts.
[**Hurricanes arriving earlier due to climate change**](https://www.miragenews.com/hurricanes-arriving-earlier-due-to-climate-1100009/)
Intense tropical cyclones (maximum wind speed greater than 131 miles per hour) are one of the most devastating natural disasters in the world due to torrential rains, flooding, destructive winds and coastal storm surges. New public impact research co-authored by a University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa atmospheric scientist revealed that since the 1980s, category 4 and 5 hurricanes (equivalent to intense tropical cyclones) have been arriving three to four days earlier with each passing decade of climate change. The findings were published in [Nature](https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-023-06544-0?utm_source=miragenews&utm_medium=miragenews&utm_campaign=news).
[**Australian Energy Regulator says more renewable energy is needed in system**](https://app.meltwater.com/mwTransition?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.newcastleherald.com.au%2Fstory%2F8379249%2Fmore-clean-energy-needed-to-keep-energy-costs-down%2F&urlCategories=newsLtd&analytics=false&documentId=-cwIanVBVeT6laGpM2oaHzWLy78&transitionToken=eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGciOiJIUzUxMiJ9.eyJob3N0bmFtZSI6Ind3dy5uZXdjYXN0bGVoZXJhbGQuY29tLmF1In0.S3t_vxbCmgmpkrSsCDpMNu7AmPytc4_Kd0RwkwN8a_IlSd-LPJ-4AC7S3N12CO2CxxsEnmS7aEAXTjQms2Wc1A)
Australia's energy regulator has stressed the need to bring more firmed renewable energy capacity online as quickly as possible in order to reduce the economic and environmental costs associated with keeping coal fired power stations operating.
[**Eating the Earth - Fossil Fuelled Capitalism**](https://app.meltwater.com/mwTransition?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.abc.net.au%2Flisten%2Fprograms%2Fnightlife%2Feating-the-earth-fossil-fueled-capitalism%2F102959188&urlCategories=newsLtd&analytics=false&documentId=UdX8DEn-LotjIInvlix1k1EkjxA&transitionToken=eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGciOiJIUzUxMiJ9.eyJob3N0bmFtZSI6Ind3dy5hYmMubmV0LmF1In0.G6KfJQf9DTg3BPfDRnL8aNk-KGOfbZc12czKSTcqj9BstN0qGFyj-TGroGNT_097qH1_WRMtfq5v4vGs7BrXgQ)
Fossil-fuelled capitalism has drastically altered our lives over the past two centuries, generating great riches for some and raising living standards for billions. But have we been living under a planetary pyramid scheme in which withdrawals from the natural world are not supported by underlying capital replenishment, resulting in global impacts such as climate change and massive biodiversity loss? Former investment banker Justyn Walsh argues that the failure to value nature properly is more than just a glitch in the system.
[VIDEO: Melbourne council working to re-establish rare species](https://app.meltwater.com/mwTransition?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.abc.net.au%2Fnews%2F2023-10-10%2Fmelbourne-council-working-to-re-establish-rare%2F102956952&urlCategories=newsLtd&analytics=false&documentId=8ZNtyG83E4HeQums5FYRR_VFkfk&transitionToken=eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGciOiJIUzUxMiJ9.eyJob3N0bmFtZSI6Ind3dy5hYmMubmV0LmF1In0.G6KfJQf9DTg3BPfDRnL8aNk-KGOfbZc12czKSTcqj9BstN0qGFyj-TGroGNT_097qH1_WRMtfq5v4vGs7BrXgQ)
Rare and endangered plant and wildlife is being saved from extinction in parklands across Melbourne.
[Reef](https://blog.greenpeace.org.au/the-canopy/tag/reef), [climate change](https://blog.greenpeace.org.au/the-canopy/tag/climate-change), [renewables](https://blog.greenpeace.org.au/the-canopy/tag/renewables)
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