Dr. Jagadish Shukla discusses themes related to his work and life experiences-focussing on scientific research, climate and societal challenges. Through sharing his journey, insights, and data, Dr. Shukla aims to engage the audience in reflecting on how individual and collective action can shape the furture. He helps us understand climate science, the policies that have impacted climate change and explore possible solutions for the problem of climate change. Dr. Jagadish Shukla, Distinguished University Professor Emeritus at George Mason University, earned his Ph.D. from Banaras Hindu University and Sc.D. from MIT. He founded GMU’s Department of Atmospheric, Oceanic, and Earth Sciences, COLA, and the Climate Dynamics Ph.D. program, and helped establish institutions in the US, India, Italy, Brazil, and Korea. Author of 250+ papers and advisor to 25+ Ph.D. students, he showed that despite weather’s chaos, monthly and seasonal climate averages are predictable, highlighting land surface processes in variability. He pioneered atmospheric/oceanic reanalysis. Honors include India’s Padma Shri, NASA’s Exceptional Scientific Achievement Medal, AMS’s Rossby Medal, WMO’s International Meteorological Prize, and AMS Honorary Membership. He was a lead IPCC author sharing the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize. With his wife, he founded Gandhi College in his birthplace to empower women. His memoir, A Billion Butterflies, was published in 2024. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx