Systemic ecological and environmental risks are characterized by complex mechanisms of occurrence and development，posing significant challenges for prevention and control. Addressing these risks represents a critical national demand for ecological and environmental security and stands at the forefront of current international research in environmental science and engineering. Against this backdrop，the National Natural Science Foundation of China convened the 395th Shuangqing Forum，titled “Fundamental Scientific Issues and Countermeasures for Controlling Systemic Ecological and Environmental Risks.” The forum facilitated strategic discussions on key themes，including the mechanisms governing the emergence and evolution of systemic risks and their coupled driving forces; theoretical frameworks and methodologies for real-time identification and precise early warning of such risks; and key technologies for coordinated prevention and control across multiple media and processes. Building upon the outcomes of this forum，this paper systematically reviews current challenges pertaining to the characterization of complex features of systemic ecological and environmental risks，multi-stage real-time early warning，and efficient coordinated containment and control. It distills the pivotal scientific questions urgently requiring resolution across the chain of risk characterization，early warning，and containment. Accordingly，the paper proposes a whole-chain collaborative governance technological pathway，leveraging lists of critical nodes and bottlenecks as key entry points. This approach aims to enhance China's capacity for systematic governance of environmental risks and play a foundational and pioneering role in safeguarding national ecological and environmental security.
Yang et al. (2026) studied this question.