We live in an era of unprecedented stress on our planet. The combination of population growth, climate change, resource demand, and the continuing development of coastal and built areas creates significant challenges for the nation. To meet these challenges, there is a need for information about the Earth system and how it is changing over time. A robust infrastructure of Earth observations is necessary to support the nation's need to inform decisions and policy. Additionally, in this ever more global society, information and understanding derived from Earth observations are important in sustaining the U.S. role in global leadership. The U.S. government recognizes that a coordinated approach is needed to sustain and build on the current set of Earth observations. Beyond coordination, there is a need for a continued national commitment to ensure that Earth observations, like other critical infrastructure, are maintained and continued.