Catch coolants, save nature

Suck it up: A team of technicians from climate startup Recoolit working to capture emissions from a large AC unit in the basement of a housing complex in Jakarta. — AFP

In the basement of a Jakarta housing complex, surrounded by the silver piping of the air-conditioning system, technician Ari Sobaruddin is doing his part to tackle climate change.

Ari and his colleagues will spend 12 hours capturing AC refrigerant to stop this “super-­pollutant” – thousands of times more potent than carbon dioxide – from leaking into the atmosphere.