Currently the Earth is vulnerable to incoming objects such as Asteroids, meteors and Comets. Some day Earth may be hit by our own moon if an asteroid, comet or meteor struck it just right, thus sending it crashing into us.
The Earth might also someday be struck by another planet, many think this may have indeed happened before, albeit billions of years ago. Solar flares often cause huge issues on Earth with regards to weather, seismic activity and life.
Mankind is not without a need to watch over either, as the weaponization of space is currently a hot topic. These are all possible threats to human life and/or our planet and we must develop a strategy for a World-Wide Planetary Defense System.
We can use the Earth