Google has announced two new partnerships aimed at tackling climate change by eliminating harmful "superpollutants" from the atmosphere. The tech giant's collaborations with Recoolit and Cool Effect are part of a broader strategy to address emissions that contribute significantly to global warming.
On May 9, 2025, Google revealed its commitment to purchase 250,000 carbon credits, which are equivalent to the removal of one million tons of CO2. These credits will come from initiatives focused on removing superpollutants—gases that are dozens of times more potent than carbon dioxide in terms of their global warming impact.
According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), superpollutants, which can include methane from fossil fuels or agriculture and hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) from refrigerants, are responsible for almost half of global warming to date. Eliminating these elements presents one of the most powerful near-term tools to combat climate change.
Randy Spock, Carbon Credits and Removals Lead at Google, emphasized the urgency of addressing these pollutants, stating, "Destroying these pollutants is one of the most powerful levers available today to slow down climate change in the near term. That’s why we’re supporting two partners who are each taking a distinct approach to verifiable, additional superpollutant destruction."
Founded in 2020, Jakarta-based Recoolit specializes in capturing HFCs from refrigerants in residential and commercial cooling systems, enabling HVAC technicians to permanently destroy these gases. Google’s partnership with Recoolit aims to scale up operations by tenfold and expand their efforts to other countries.
Louis Potok, co-founder and CEO of Recoolit, expressed excitement about the partnership, saying, "The momentum in this space is starting to build: it’s exciting to see the leaders who catalyzed carbon removal tech realize keeping the planet livable requires both long-term durable removals and emergency-brake short-term measures like refrigerant destruction."
Cool Effect, a non-profit organization launched in 2015, works with project developers to ensure that greenhouse gas emissions reduction projects are legitimate and effective. Google’s collaboration with Cool Effect will support their local partner, Orizon Valorização de Resíduos, in installing methane destruction equipment at a landfill in Cuiabá, Brazil.
Jodi Manning, CEO of Cool Effect, highlighted the importance of the project, stating, "In 2022, the IPCC emphasized the urgent need to reduce methane emissions to help avert the worst impacts—calling for a 30% reduction by 2030. Projects like Orizon Valorização de Resíduos Ecoparque Pantanal are critical. Google’s investment is a powerful signal that the corporate sector is taking action by supporting high-integrity, science-backed solutions."
While superpollutants are significantly more potent than CO2, they also tend to have a shorter lifespan in the atmosphere. Google noted that the new agreements would have a near-term impact similar to removing three million tons of CO2, but a long-term impact of roughly one million tons.
As part of its climate strategy, Google plans to either use the credits from these agreements to match against shorter-lived emissions in its footprint or replace them with longer-lived credits as their atmospheric impact expires. Spock reiterated the company’s commitment, stating, "We can’t combat climate change without solving for superpollutants – and we’re eager to use every tool we have available to catalyze the range of solutions needed to address near-term warming."
These partnerships mark a significant step in Google’s ongoing efforts to mitigate its environmental impact and support innovative solutions in the fight against climate change. With the tech industry under increasing scrutiny for its carbon footprint, Google’s initiatives may set a precedent for other corporations looking to make meaningful contributions to sustainability.
As the world grapples with the urgent challenges posed by climate change, the focus on superpollutants highlights an essential area of action. By investing in technologies that target the most harmful emissions, Google aims to lead the way in corporate responsibility and environmental stewardship.
