In Indonesia, a startup captures coolants to stop global warming

In the basement of a Jakarta housing complex, surrounded by the silver piping of the air-conditioning system, Indonesian 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.