John R. McNeill emphasizes the need for environmental history to broaden its scope by addressing underexplored regions, eras, and themes. McNeill highlights the neglect of regions like Russia, the Middle East, and East Asia’s industrial revolution, and calls for deeper engagement with pre-1880 history. Additionally, he encourages aligning environmental history with topics of interest to environmental science and policy, such as climate change and natural disasters, to enhance interdisciplinary relevance.