MOSCOW, April 1. /TASS/. The quarantine and fall in industrial production will not bring about a prompt and considerable improvement of the ecological situation, but at the same time they will open up a window of opportunity for "green modernization," experts told the portal The Future of Russia: National Projects, operated by TASS.

"The crisis may take toll on the financial position of companies, which will find it far more difficult to comply with ecological safety requirements. This concerns the frequency of filter replacement, the operation of cleaning and water purification facilities, the purchase of chemical agents, equipment repairs and maintenance costs and the replacement of more expensive and cleaner fuels with cheaper and more hazardous ones," the moderator of the Ecology panel of the All-Russia People’s Front's Moscow Region branch, Anton Khlynov, said.

He believes that even if the quarantine lasts several months, this will not bring about a considerable improvement in the ecological situation on the globe or in some of its parts, while the risks of hazardous environmental situations amid economic difficulties and growing pressure on state budgets tend to soar.

"It is true that emissions from industrial facilities and passenger jets have reduced. Traffic has eased considerably, but there is the suspicion that when the crisis is over and industrial production gets back to the previous level, the environment will begin to be polluted again and destroyed for the sake of economic achievements," said programs director of the Russian chapter of Greenpeace, Ivan Blokov.

However, in the long run it may turn out that cost-saving may prove a powerful incentive to a more environment-friendly attitude to consumption and waste disposal. It is possible to boost industrial production not only by neglecting ecological restrictions, but with support for technological upgrade efforts and transition to "green" technologies, Blokov noted.