California enacts permanent protections for Joshua Trees & more environmental stories.

[View this email in your browser]( Thursday, June 29, 2023 “The Earth does not belong to us; we belong to the Earth.” — Chief Seattle California Enacts Permanent Protections for Joshua Trees The Western Joshua Tree Conservation Act has passed in California. The act is the first legislation in the state to protect a species from climate change. It prohibits any person or public agency from importing, exporting, removing, owning, buying or selling western Joshua trees or any of their parts, and the legislation requires the Department of Fish and Wildlife, along with Indigenous tribes and the public, to establish a conservation plan for the species. [Read More]( Related: [Meet the Nation’s Latest National Monuments]( Overfishing Is Pushing Coral Reef Sharks Toward Extinction, Study Finds According to a new study by the [Global FinPrint project]( overfishing is causing coral [reef sharks]( to be driven toward extinction much more than previously thought. [Read More]( Related: [These Unique Reef Sharks Can Walk on Dry Land]( To Protect Its Oceans, Canada Bans Waste Water Dumping From Cruise Ships In an effort to bolster Canada’s environmental standards, the country has banned [cruise ships]( from dumping [wastewater]( and sewage close to the shoreline. Measures governing discharge of the pollutants had previously been voluntary. [Read More]( Related: [Biggest Polluters Linked to Worsening Wildfires in Western U.S. and Canada]( Climate Reality vs. Public Perception: Will Toxic Haze and the 2023 Danger Season Make a Difference? The year is only half done and the United States has already been enveloped by acrid [orange skies]( in the East, battered by winter rains and [floods]( in California, seared by record [winter temperatures]( in the South, soaked by a [record]( 26-inch April [deluge]( in Fort Lauderdale, and broiled by record spring heat in the [Pacific Northwest]( [Texas]( and [Puerto Rico](. The onslaught has led to another round of media headlines and press releases from environmental and public health groups asking whether the nation is at a tipping point of urgency to fight climate change. [Read More]( Related: [Wildfire Emissions in Canada for First Half of 2023 Are Already Worse Than Any Full Year on Record]( Do you get this newsletter daily? If not, [sign up here]( or forward to a friend. [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [Website]( [Instagram]( Copyright © 2023 EcoWatch, All rights reserved. You are receiving this email because you signed up for EcoWatch Top News of The Day Our mailing address is: EcoWatch 1122 Oberlin RoadRaleigh, NC 27605 [Add us to your address book]( Want to change how you receive these emails? You can [update your preferences]( or [unsubscribe from this list](. [Mailchimp Email Marketing](