But a new book, Our Changing Planet: The View from Space, takes a wide-angle view of the dynamic globe.

NPR: Book Takes Wide-Angle View of a Changing Planet

One argument against the idea that a new human-dominated epoch has recently begun is that humans have been changing the planet for a long time already, indeed practically since the start of the Holocene.

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Times change, the planet is changing and we as a people must also learn and change.

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"People have become a geological force in their own right, and we are changing the planet in ways every bit as dramatic as major geological events, " Barnosky said.

CNN: STORY HIGHLIGHTS

The idea is, is that as the planet as a whole gets warmer, you start seeing changing weather patterns, and that creates more violent storm systems, more unpredictable weather.

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Nations are at a crossroads "where if we recognize these major ways we are changing the planet and actively guide how we are making those changes, we can move our biosphere in directions we want it to, " Barnosky said.

CNN: STORY HIGHLIGHTS

But while we have readily and rightfully committed ourselves to understanding the cause of the spill, its effects and how to help restore the affected Gulf Coast region, we still can't seem to come to grips with a much more dangerous, far-reaching pollutant that is changing the fundamental chemistry of our entire planet: carbon dioxide.

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