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Michael McCarthy

Author Biography

Michael McCarthy

Michael McCarthy, formerly the Independent’s longstanding Environment Editor, now its Environment Columnist, is one of Britain’s leading writers on the environment and the natural world. He has won a string of awards for his work, including Environment Journalist of the Year (three times) and Specialist Writer of the Year in the British Press Awards in 2001. In 2007 he was awarded the Medal of the RSPB for “Outstanding Services to Conservation,” in 2010 he was awarded the Silver Medal of the Zoological Society of London, and in 2011 the Dilys Breeze Medal of the British Trust for Ornithology. In 2009 McCarthy published Say Goodbye To The Cuckoo (John Murray), a study of Britain’s declining migrant birds.

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A broad region covering Lincolnshire, Cambridgeshire, west Norfolk and parts of Bedfordshire and Northamptonshire is seriously water-stressed, with springs, rivers and wells drying up.

In North Norfolk, springs at an RSPB nature reserve have run dry, leaving less marshland for wading birds to feed on; domestic wells are drying up on the South Lincolnshire limestone with groundwater users being unable to abstract water; and the rivers Glen in Lincolnshire, Chess in Buckinghamshire and Coln in Gloucestershire have run dry in places.

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News

Higher expectations: European economies are growing but the recovery remains weak

'We need a European Spring'

newsThe eurozone crisis has tipped many into despair and extremism - this radically altered landscape calls for a new kind of politics, argues economist Philippe Legrain

Arts & Entertainment

Tangled up in blue: Singer-songwriter Judith Owen

Judith Owen reveals the tracks of her tears

musicAnd how husband Harry Shearer - of Spinal Tap and The Simpsons fame - helped her music flourish

Sport

Karim Benzema celebrates scoring the opening goal

Benzema's gives Real the edge over blunted Bayern

sportReal Madrid 1 Bayern Munich 0: Germans will need their legendary self-belief to rescue Champions League tie in second leg

Arts & Entertainment

Paul Weller: 'I am a big supporter of independent record stores but the greedy touts making a fast buck off genuine fans is disgusting'

Weller pulls out of Record Store Day after his singles appear on eBay

music

Arts & Entertainment

William Shakespeare's influence on English culture is still strongly felt today, from his plays on stage to words we use everyday

50 phrases you use all the time but didn't know came from Shakespeare

arts

Sport

Manchester United manager David Moyes has claimed supporters understand the need to look at

Moyes breaks silence over Manchester United sack

sportScot thanks club staff and fans, but gives no specific mention of players

News

Strange 'quack' noises could be undersea chatter of Minke whales

Has the 50-year mystery of the ocean 'quack' finally been solved?

science

News

Want to make $250,000? Just get kicked in the face by a passing train driver...

weird news... and film it, obviously

Life & Style

Balancing act: City workers at the launch of Cityfathers

Dads' Army: Cityfathers tackles long-hours culture

lifeThe organisation is the brainchild of Louisa Symington-Mills who set up Citymothers in 2012 - a group boasting more than 3,000 members

Arts & Entertainment

Best shows on Netflix: 26 series worth bingeing on

tv

News

Fresh hope: Ruth Womak and her dog Jess. A free training course in basic computing skills changed Ruth’s life

The online lifeline

educationHow a housing association's remarkable educational initiative gave hope to tenant battling long-term illness and depression

Have you tried new the Independent Digital Edition iPad app?

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Migrants in Britain a decade on: The Poles who brought prosperity

Migrants in Britain a decade on

The Poles who brought prosperity

Philippe Legrain: 'The eurozone crisis has tipped many into disillusionment, despair and extremism - we need a European Spring'

Philippe Legrain: 'We need a European Spring'

The eurozone crisis has tipped many into disillusionment, despair and extremism - this radically altered landscape calls for a new kind of politics, argues the economist

A History of the First World War in 100 moments: A moment of glory on the Western Front for the soldiers of the Raj

A History of the First World War in 100 moments

A moment of glory on the Western Front for the soldiers of the Raj

Judith Owen reveals how husband Harry Shearer - star of This Is Spinal Tap and The Simpsons - helped her music flourish

Judith Owen: 'How my husband helped my music flourish'

Her mother's suicide and father's cancer also informed the singer-songwriter's new album, says Pierre Perrone

The online lifeline: How a housing association's remarkable educational initiative gave hope to tenant battling long-term illness and depression

Online lifeline: Housing association's educational initiative

South Yorkshire Housing Association's free training courses gave hope to tenant battling long-term illness and depression

Face-recognition software: Is this the end of anonymity for all of us?

Face-recognition software: The end of anonymity?

The software is already used for military surveillance, by police to identify suspects - and on Facebook

Train Kick Selfie Guy is set to scoop up to $250,000 thanks to his viral video - so how can you cash in on your candid moments?

Viral videos: Cashing in on candid moments

Train Kick Selfie Guy Jared Frank could receive anything between $30,000 to $250,000 for his misfortune - and that's just his cut of advertising revenue from being viewed on YouTube

The world's fastest elevators - 20 metres per second - are coming soon to China

World's fastest elevators coming soon to China

Whatever next? Simon Usborne finds out from Britain's highest authority on the subject

Cityfathers tackles long-hours culture that causes men to miss out on seeing their children

Cityfathers tackles long-hours culture

The organisation is the brainchild of Louisa Symington-Mills, a chief operating officer who set up Citymothers in 2012 - a group that now boasts more than 3,000 members

Brits who migrate to Costa del Sol more unhappy than those who stay at home

It's not always fun in the sun: Moving abroad does not guarantee happiness

Brits who migrate to Costa del Sol more unhappy than those who stay at home

Migrants in Britain a decade on: They came, they worked, they stayed in Lincolnshire

Migrants in Britain a decade on

They came, they worked, they stayed in Lincolnshire

Chris Addison on swapping politics for pillow talk

Chris Addison on swapping politics for pillow talk

The 'Thick of It' favourite thinks the romcom is an 'awful genre'. So why is he happy with a starring role in Sky Living's new Lake District-set series 'Trying Again'?

Why musicians play into their old age

Why musicians play into their old age

Nick Hasted looks at how they are driven by a burning desire to keep on entertaining fans despite risking ridicule

How can you tell a gentleman?

How can you tell a gentleman?

A list of public figures with gallant attributes by Country Life magazine throws a fascinating light on what it means to be a gentleman in the modern world

Pet a porter: posh pet pampering

Pet a porter: posh pet pampering

The duo behind Asos and Achica have launched a new venture offering haute couture to help make furry companions fashionable