Thargomindah, in the outback of Queensland, Australia, is a quiet small town with a population of 203. That is, until nightfall when the town's population doubles with the arrival of hundreds of other Australians...kangaroos and emus desperate to find food and water.

Some 700 miles west of Brisbane, Thargomindah is suffering its worst drought in 50 years. Both the wildlife and grazers are suffering. But as kangaroos reach plague proportion, farmers complain that the animals are eating any new growth available.

[Scott Fraser, Local Farmer]:
"It's possible to shoot seven-hundred a night, they're that thick. They're swarm proportions, you have no idea, it gives you a creepy feeling when you see them that thick."
It was from this area that the massive dust storm blew into Brisbane and Sydney in September causing an eerie red haze to cover the cities.

While dust storms may cause temporary disruptions to towns and cities, by far the worst effect is the stripping of the topsoil from Australia's farmlands.

Weather scientists are reluctant to directly link climate change with extreme weather events... such as storms and droughts. They say these fluctuate according to atmospheric conditions. But green groups link the two in their calls for action to fight climate change.