A team of scientists has recently published a paper which argues that Earth should no longer be considered in the Holocene era but, rather, a new phase called the Anthropocene given the extent to which humans have altered the planet.

Humans have ushered Earth into a new and distinct geological era, according to a team of scientists associated with the Anthropocene Working Group. 
As such, they believe the current era should officially be recognized as Anthropocene, marking the end of the ongoing Holocene. 
One of the researchers, Jan Zalasiewicz, explains simply, “Our species is clearly capable of altering the course of Earth history rather more than the average species.”