Unstunting stunted public participation in the regulation of environmental protection.

Public participation in the regulation of environmental protection is key to the attainment of environmental protection objectives. Despite this, history shows that state officials have consistently stunted opportunities for public participation and thus compromised the attainment of environmental protection objectives. I argue that the reason behind this is the regulatory capture of these officials. I also consider that captured officials' central tool in stunting participation has been the misinformation of the public in order to dissuade them from participation, through manipulation of reporting on environmental protection by the widely trusted (and relied upon) news arm of the mass media. As such, I argue that the key to greater participation in environmental protection, which would fuel the attainment of objectives, is through the turn to delivering information through other means, most notably social media platforms, and in a manner that would facilitate participation