Recognition was given to the fact that human activity had driven the planet into a new epoch, the Anthropocene, in which many Earth-system processes and the living fabric of ecosystems are now dominated by human activities.

UNESCO: keeps momentum going for sustainability driven science after Rio+20 | United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization

The loss of observations of key Earth system components and processes will weaken the ability to understand and forecast changes arising from interactions and feedbacks within the Earth system and limit the data and information available to users and decision makers.

FORBES: Losing NASA's Eyes in the Sky