"The Paris climate meeting is now heading into its home stretch, as world leaders debate what to make of a human future on a changing planet."

"As an astronomer, however, I'm used to taking the long view on things. From that perspective, a startlingly different understanding of climate change appears from what I often see people talking about. From the long view — which for climate is the only view that makes sense — it's clear we're looking at climate all wrong."

"Ask folks about climate change and a lot of them will talk about the climate debate. They'll tell you Democrats and Republicans, liberals and conservatives, environmentalists and business interests. And even for those who follow the science and understand the problem, the discussion often turns around the idea of saving the Earth. We Facebook each other pictures of polar bears and shrinking ice flows and feel doomed."

"All of these perspectives, however, miss an essential point. The long view is all about understanding planets, life and their coupled evolution. From that vantage point, what we're going through now is not a political debate or an attempt to save the planet. Instead we're at the beginning of a fundamental planetary transition and it's nothing short of humanity's coming of age."