The Greenpeace Russia Environmental Organization created a petition demanding not to give up environmental safeguards and control of industrial entities. This was reported by representatives of Greenpeace to 7x7 on April 24.
Environmentalists suggest focusing on the use of green technologies instead of recovering from crisis at the expense of nature. Greenpeace believes that the control suspension is going to bring old problems back: oil spills in the Komi Republic, "black sky" in Krasnoyarsk, the smell of landfills, fuming quarries in Bashkiria and Kuzbass.
The Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs (RUIE) suggested the idea to loosen control and delay the introduction of new environmental standards to Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin. Businessmen suggest the suspension of environmental control, cancellation of fines for violations of environmental legislation, and delay of the implementation of programs of reducing harmful environmental impact until 2021. Lobbyists suggest such measures because of the crisis that began due to the coronavirus epidemic.
In February, Greenpeace Russia launched a campaign of the air quality assessment in Russian cities. The editorial board of online newspaper 7x7 also joined the Greenpeace Russia campaign having hung out a white sheet out the window of the office in Syktyvkar.