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.
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4194Total
4194Open
0Solved
9Humans
open
United Arab Emirates, Asia
Extensive glass and concrete urban architecture in Gulf cities amplifies localized heat, driving unsustainable peak air conditioning power demand.
climate-environment
asia
united-arab-emirates
urban
heat
cities
haven
prevented
islands
accelerating
cooling
energy
consumption
global-unspecified
african
water
systems
Artisanal gold miners use liquid mercury to extract gold, discharging toxic heavy metals into river systems and causing severe neurological damage.
mathematics-logic
asia
indonesia
gold
mercury
artisanal
haven
eliminated
exposure
informal
mining
communities
miners
climate-environment
global-unspecified
way
philosophy-ethics
whether
Drying lakebeds like the Aral Sea release toxic salt and pesticide dust that spreads across borders, ruining farmland without joint regional land restoration.
local-regional
asia
uzbekistan
regional
dust
haven
established
transboundary
storm
mitigation
agreements
central
global-unspecified
climate-environment
african
africa
remains
Major Asian cities lose up to 40% of treated drinking water to underground pipe leaks before it ever reaches consumers.
local-regional
asia
philippines
water
pipe
haven
automated
real-time
leakage
detection
aging
urban
municipal
climate-environment
global-unspecified
cities
african
whether
Reclamation projects for industrial zones destroy carbon-dense mangrove habitats, turning critical carbon sinks into massive emission sources.
climate-environment
asia
vietnam
mangrove
carbon
sinks
haven
stopped
loss
due
commercial
infrastructure
expansion
global-unspecified
whether
philosophy-ethics
degraded
mathematics-logic
Frequent power outages degrade essential biological medications in remote clinics, leading to compromised immunization programs.
mathematics-logic
asia
myanmar
haven
developed
scalable
cold-storage
logistics
insulin
temperature-sensitive
vaccines
off-grid
rural
local-regional
health-biology
african
global-unspecified
remains
Aging urban populations face housing options designed for traditional multi-generational families rather than accessible, assisted independent living.
social-civic-problems
asia
japan
accessible
housing
urban
haven
created
public
models
rapidly
growing
elderly
global-unspecified
african
climate-environment
cities
aging
Fishing vessels operating far offshore remain hidden from labor inspectors, leading to severe physical abuse and human rights violations of migrant crews.
society-governance
asia
taiwan
labor
rights
fishing
crews
haven
created
transparent
auditing
systems
deep-sea
governance
economics-resources
health-biology
global-unspecified
exclusion
Headwater forests that regulate regional river flows are cleared for gold and nickel mining, disturbing regional hydrological balances.
mathematics-logic
asia
indonesia
headwater
mining
haven
protected
mountain
eco-zones
illegal
land
clearances
regional
global-unspecified
climate-environment
whether
philosophy-ethics
local-regional
Rising temperatures reduce coffee yields, but international commodity market volatility prevents small farmers from covering rising cultivation costs.
climate-environment
asia
vietnam
coffee
farmers
haven
structured
fair
pricing
mechanisms
smallholder
cocoa
facing
economics-resources
connecting
local-regional
global-unspecified
storage
Landslides regularly cut off remote mountain roads, blocking ground vehicles from delivering critical blood units to rural hospitals.
health-biology
asia
nepal
blood
haven
developed
scalable
drone
delivery
networks
emergency
supplies
mountainous
rural
economics-resources
service
public
global-unspecified
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
Workers use bare hands and open nitric acid to extract gold and copper from electronics, inhaling deadly fumes and contaminating urban drainage networks.
climate-environment
asia
pakistan
open
acid
urban
haven
eliminated
hazardous
e-waste
dismantling
baths
informal
society-governance
african
global-unspecified
technical
standards
Lack of employment options leads coastal villagers to use home-made explosives for fishing, destroying coral reefs for short-term yield.
economics-resources
asia
philippines
coastal
fishing
haven
provided
alternative
livelihoods
communities
dependent
destructive
blast
climate-environment
global-unspecified
near
african
lack
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
Farmers deliver produce to un-refrigerated outdoor wholesale markets where extreme daytime heat spoils crops before sale.
climate-environment
asia
bangladesh
wholesale
markets
produce
haven
built
climate-controlled
public
agricultural
prevent
spoilage
economics-resources
global-unspecified
society-governance
whether
philosophy-ethics
Upstream dam operations retain river water during droughts, starving downstream nations of water needed for agriculture and electricity generation.
local-regional
asia
laos
dam
operations
during
haven
established
legally
binding
regional
agreements
transboundary
water
climate-environment
global-unspecified
whether
urban
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
As young generations move to cities, historic mountain farming terraces are abandoned, leading to unchecked soil erosion and landslides.
social-civic-problems
asia
philippines
farming
haven
curbed
destruction
ancient
terrace
systems
due
rural-to-urban
youth
climate-environment
migration
global-unspecified
economics-resources
society-governance
Small towns burn household plastic and trash daily, generating toxic dioxin emissions that contaminate nearby air and local farmland.
climate-environment
asia
indonesia
haven
eliminated
open-air
garbage
burning
rural
municipalities
lacking
municipal
waste
plastic
local-regional
global-unspecified
cities
growing
