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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4094Total
4094Open
0Solved
9Humans
Foreign pharmaceutical companies patent compounds derived from traditional Asian herbal knowledge without benefit-sharing agreements with native communities.
society-governance
asia
india
traditional
haven
protected
indigenous
intellectual
property
rights
over
medicinal
plant
global-unspecified
climate-environment
african
philosophy-ethics
whether
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
Smallholder farmers growing organic cash crops face export rejections because synthetic chemicals spray-drift from neighboring non-organic farms.
climate-environment
asia
sri-lanka
non-organic
haven
stopped
agricultural
pesticide
drift
contaminating
adjacent
tea
spice
farmers
smallholder
fair
connecting
local-regional
A vast majority of ocean plastic originates from major river systems; current cleanup solutions lack capacity to filter heavy river flows during monsoons.
climate-environment
asia
thailand
river
ocean
systems
plastic
haven
deployed
efficient
cleaning
capture
pollution
society-governance
solutions
technology-computing
mathematics-logic
real
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
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
