During the 2016 US presidential elections, Akshat Rathi shifted from being a science reporter to a climate journalist. Donald Trump had made a bunch of campaign promises on "clean coal" to revive the coal industry and Rathi's editor at Quartz wanted him to dig in and find out if the technology was viable. "Until then, I had avoided doing climate stories, only because they can get quite depressing," London-based Rathi remembers. Little did he know that he'd spend a whole year on this long-term climate change series. "If Trump was going to push for it, we needed more information and understanding on what's happening with the technology right now. I wrote about how a carbon capture technology was hitting zero carbon emissions in Sweden, among many other disparate subjects related to environment together in a package." It turned out that he had struck gold. "Most of us believe that the problem of climate change is without a solution. During this project, I realised there are numerous solutions to every environmental problem. My goal since then has been to change mindsets," adds Rathi, who has a PhD in organic chemistry from the University of Oxford, and a BTech in chemical engineering from the Institute of Chemical Technology in Mumbai.

Taking his expertise in the field to the next level, Rathi has now edited a book of essays from young climate leaders settled across the world. Titled, United We Are Unstoppable: 60 Inspiring Young People Saving Our World (John Murray/Hachette), the book is an ode to the young voices echoing the earth's call for help. "On Monday, 20 August 2018, fifteen-year-old Greta Thunberg sat down outside the Swedish parliament with only an armful of flyers and a wooden sign that read Skolstrejk för klimatet (School Strike for Climate)…On Friday, 15 March 2019, a global school strike was called," writes Rathi in the book's introduction. "Thousands of climate warriors have arrived, done an incredible job, and left, in the last few centuries. But she [Greta] has done quite well. The attention has been significantly greater on her than any other activists we have seen to date. So this was my way to try and acknowledge that fact as well as her efforts in the book's introduction," Rathi tells us.