A collection of commentaries published in the journals of the American Geophysical Union illuminate the deep and growing benefits of research in the Earth and space sciences for humanity. This special collection presents a series of commentaries from across AGU's journals explaining and illustrating the relevance of Earth and space science research for the benefit of humanity--a key part of AGU's mission. The commentaries show how data, models, and understanding across a range of topics have broad applications, and provide economic and societal benefits. The context for this special collection and some of the common themes are further discussed in an Editors' Vox and an AGU press release. Together, these commentaries demonstrate that Earth and space science is essential for society. Find out more about the collection's themes here.