Martin McCloskey, Britain's Minister for Local Energy and Employment, addressed the 2026 annual conference of the Carbon Capture and Storage Association (CCSA). In his speech, he linked the development of carbon capture, utilization and storage (CCUS) technologies to the broader task of modernizing the country's industrial sector. According to the minister, investments in CCS infrastructure are capable not only of reducing greenhouse gas emissions from industrial enterprises but also of creating new jobs in regions traditionally dependent on heavy industry. Carbon capture technologies are viewed by the government as a way to preserve the competitiveness of British manufacturers in the transition to a low-carbon economy, while preventing deindustrialization and the exodus of enterprises abroad. McCloskey emphasized that the development of the CCS sector should be accompanied by partnership between the state, business, and local communities, so that the benefits from new projects are distributed evenly across the country, including less economically prosperous regions. He noted the importance of creating a long-term regulatory and investment framework that would give business confidence to invest in the corresponding infrastructure—pipelines, storage facilities, and emission capture installations at production sites. The minister's speech is part of the broader policy of the British government to achieve climate goals while simultaneously supporting industry and local employment. CCS technologies are viewed as a bridge between preserving traditional industrial capacity, such as cement and chemical plants, and the requirements of economic decarbonization.