Repository of problems worth solving
World Solve is a public institutional repository for identifying real unresolved problems across science, society, health, governance, economics, and local systems. Each entry is intended to be citable, inspectable, and actionable.
Publicly citable
Every problem has a stable citation code for reference and discussion.
Filtered by relevance
Search by category, geography, status, and keywords.
Builder-oriented
Use the repository to find startup ideas, policy leads, and research agendas.
4194Total
4194Open
0Solved
9Humans
Municipal transport authorities lack upfront capital to purchase electric buses and build high-voltage charging depots, prolonging diesel air pollution.
climate-environment
asia
sri-lanka
air-pollution
electric
haven
transition-funded
fossil
fuel
bus
fleets
zero-emission
transit
networks
global-unspecified
whether
philosophy-ethics
mathematics-logic
Informal foundries produce cheap cooking pots from scrap aluminum contaminated with high levels of lead and arsenic, which leach into daily meals.
climate-environment
asia
afghanistan
haven
regulated
hazardous
heavy
metals
domestic
food
preparation
cookware
informal
eliminated
urban
economics-resources
groundwater
waste
High consumer demand for cheap apparel drives subcontracted garment dye houses to bypass effluent treatment to maintain razor-thin profit margins.
economics-resources
asia
cambodia
haven
eliminated
fast-fashion
textile
sludge
dumping
suburban
waterways
high
consumer
climate-environment
water
global-unspecified
solved
make
High concentrations of plastic runoff degrade into microplastics that enter pelagic fish species, posing bioaccumulation risks for human consumers.
climate-environment
asia
china
haven
stopped
marine
microplastic
ingestion
commercial
fisheries
major
estuarine
zones
global-unspecified
prevent
philosophy-ethics
whether
mathematics-logic
Highways and railway lines cutting through elephant migration corridors trigger frequent violent encounters, destroying crops and causing loss of human and elephant lives.
social-civic-problems
asia
india
corridors
haven
mitigated
human-elephant
conflicts
caused
linear
infrastructure
fracturing
wildlife
philosophy-ethics
global-unspecified
whether
have
loss
Lax enforcement and local corruption allow illicit logging cartels to extract high-value hardwood trees from remote protected areas.
society-governance
asia
myanmar
parks
protected
haven
eliminated
illegal
timber
poaching
national
under
paper
global-unspecified
logging
whether
science-space
remote
First-time digital payment users in rural areas are highly vulnerable to social engineering scams, causing severe sudden financial losses.
technology-computing
asia
india
digital
users
payment
haven
built
effective
fraud
protection
systems
low-literacy
society-governance
global-unspecified
creating
african
whether
High natural fluoride concentrations in deep groundwater cause irreversible skeletal fluorosis among rural children who lack alternative drinking water.
economics-resources
asia
india
groundwater
fluorosis
rural
haven
solved
crisis
causing
crippling
bone
deformities
global-unspecified
water
access
urban
public
High-density poultry farms lack advanced biosecurity barriers, leading to recurring avian flu outbreaks that devastate regional food security.
health-biology
asia
china
food-security
biosecurity
outbreaks
poultry
haven
developed
efficient
protocols
prevent
swift
viral
coordinating
cross
border
outbreak
Commercial seaweed farming faces high initial equipment costs and fragile processing supply chains, delaying its potential for carbon sequestration.
climate-environment
asia
south-korea
supply-chain
seaweed
haven
scaled
aquaculture
alternative
protein
source
ocean
de-acidification
tool
economics-resources
global-unspecified
supply
systems
Groundwater extraction in surrounding agricultural zones causes subtle soil sinkage beneath critical transit corridors, requiring constant costly re-leveling.
climate-environment
asia
china
haven
stopped
industrial
land
subsidence
compromising
high-speed
rail
corridor
foundations
global-unspecified
philosophy-ethics
whether
agricultural
soil
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
High blood pressure can silently damage the kidneys over years before any symptoms appear, and by the time damage is detected, it's often already significant. Earlier, more sensitive detection methods remain an unmet need.
health-biology
global-unspecified
damage
high
blood
pressure
don
have
reliable
way
detect
early
philosophy-ethics
whether
determine
resolved
agreed
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Testicular cancer is highly treatable when caught early, but a lack of widespread screening awareness means some cases are diagnosed later than they should be. Improving early detection and awareness remains an underaddressed public health gap.
health-biology
global-unspecified
public-health
early
awareness
testicular
cancer
screening
don
have
reliable
way
detect
whether
philosophy-ethics
determine
resolved
agreed
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Lifestyle interventions can reduce risk for some people, but a meaningful share of high-risk individuals still develop type 2 diabetes despite following recommended prevention advice. A more effective, individualized prevention approach remains needed.
philosophy-ethics
global-unspecified
type
diabetes
high-risk
individuals
haven
found
reliable
way
prevent
development
whether
resolved
health-biology
determine
mathematics-logic
Despite recognition of its importance, reliable methods for mechanisms for ensuring that climate and development finance reaches women and marginalized groups are still lacking. Progress is hindered by incomplete mechanistic knowledge, high capital and operational barriers, and the absence of deployment models suited to the contexts of greatest need.
climate-environment
asia
indonesia
mechanisms
ensuring
climate
development
finance
reaches
women
marginalized
groups
deployable
methods
systems
society-governance
barriers
designs
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Hospitals with limited resources for sterile equipment and infection control see higher rates of post-surgical infections than better-equipped facilities. Closing this gap requires both medical and infrastructure solutions that remain incomplete in many regions.
health-biology
global-unspecified
infections
haven
solved
prevent
surgical
site
resource-limited
hospital
settings
hospitals
whether
philosophy-ethics
solutions
society-governance
way
mathematics-logic
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Highly effective hepatitis C treatments exist, but cost and healthcare access still prevent many infected people worldwide from receiving them. Expanding affordable access remains the primary barrier rather than the science itself.
health-biology
global-unspecified
effective
hepatitis
don
have
widely
available
cure
chronic
every
region
whether
philosophy-ethics
determine
way
resolved
agreed
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Cervical cancer remains highly preventable through regular screening, but many women in lower-resource regions lack consistent access to the tests that catch it early. Closing this access gap could prevent large numbers of otherwise preventable deaths.
health-biology
global-unspecified
access
cervical
cancer
regions
regular
don
have
scalable
way
screen
whether
philosophy-ethics
determine
resolved
agreed
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Some high offices have strict term limits while others, sometimes in the same country, have none at all, allowing certain officials to accumulate power for decades. This inconsistency undermines the broader principle term limits are meant to protect.
society-governance
global-unspecified
term
limits
officials
power
judges
top
applied
inconsistently
entrenched
remains
philosophy-ethics
whether
resolved
haven
determine
know
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Talented people are sometimes drawn toward higher-paying private sector jobs instead of public service, leaving government roles filled by less experienced staff. This talent gap quietly undermines the quality of policy and services citizens receive.
society-governance
global-unspecified
public
sector
wages
countries
too
low
attract
skilled
workers
needed
services
governance
whether
philosophy-ethics
social-civic-problems
haven