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
Global / Unspecified, Global
Solar and wind farms are essential for clean energy but can sometimes be built in locations that disrupt sensitive wildlife habitats if siting isn't carefully planned. Balancing rapid renewable deployment with habitat protection remains an ongoing challenge.
climate-environment
global-unspecified
renewable-energy
renewable
energy
siting
sensitive
wildlife
habitats
haven
found
way
make
whether
philosophy-ethics
mathematics-logic
resolved
prevent
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
As demand grows for minerals used in batteries and electronics, deep-sea mining is expanding into ecosystems that remain poorly understood and could take centuries to recover from disruption. Regulating this before major damage occurs remains an unresolved governance and environmental challenge.
society-governance
global-unspecified
deep-sea
ecosystems
mining
don
have
scalable
way
prevent
depletion
emerging
whether
philosophy-ethics
determine
resolved
agreed
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Escaped farmed fish can compete with, interbreed with, or spread disease to native wild fish populations, threatening genetic diversity and long-term population health. Preventing these escapes and their ecological impact remains an unresolved aquaculture industry challenge.
mathematics-logic
global-unspecified
fish
native
populations
farmed
wild
yet
fully
prevent
decline
displaced
philosophy-ethics
whether
way
have
climate-environment
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Degraded peatlands release significant amounts of stored carbon, and restoring them to their natural, carbon-storing state requires careful, sustained management that many restoration projects don't achieve. Making this restoration reliably effective remains unresolved.
climate-environment
global-unspecified
carbon-emissions
restoration
effective
significant
carbon
degraded
haven
solved
make
peatland
enough
philosophy-ethics
whether
way
determine
don
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Fish introduced into new waterways for recreational or food purposes can sometimes outcompete or prey on native species, causing lasting ecological disruption. Preventing or reversing this kind of introduction remains an unresolved conservation challenge.
mathematics-logic
global-unspecified
biodiversity
fish
species
introduced
food
native
don
have
effective
way
prevent
philosophy-ethics
whether
determine
resolved
agreed
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Coastal dunes provide a natural barrier against storm surges, but development and recreational use continue to erode them faster than they can naturally rebuild. Protecting these ecosystems remains an underappreciated but unresolved coastal resilience challenge.
climate-environment
global-unspecified
coastal
ecosystems
naturally
storm
yet
fully
prevent
loss
dune
buffer
philosophy-ethics
whether
mathematics-logic
resolved
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Sustainable building materials often cost more or aren't as widely available as traditional concrete and steel, slowing their adoption across the construction industry. Making green materials the default rather than the premium choice remains unresolved.
climate-environment
global-unspecified
materials
green
building
available
traditional
haven
solved
make
affordable
carbon-intensive
mathematics-logic
whether
philosophy-ethics
way
reuse
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Managed honeybees, while important for agriculture, can sometimes outcompete native pollinator species for food resources when placed in sensitive natural areas. Balancing agricultural pollination needs with native species protection remains an unresolved ecological challenge.
mathematics-logic
global-unspecified
native
species
pollinator
managed
don
have
scalable
way
prevent
decline
philosophy-ethics
whether
determine
resolved
agreed
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Soot particles from fires and diesel engines can settle on snow and ice, absorbing more heat and accelerating melting beyond what temperature alone would cause. Reducing this pollution source at the scale needed to slow ice melt remains unresolved.
climate-environment
global-unspecified
ice
soot
melting
yet
fully
prevent
release
black
carbon
accelerates
whether
philosophy-ethics
mathematics-logic
way
haven
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Artisanal mining, often for gold, frequently uses toxic mercury and lacks basic safety protections, harming both workers' health and nearby water systems. Making this widespread informal industry safer at scale remains an unresolved global challenge.
climate-environment
global-unspecified
artisanal
mining
safer
both
workers
haven
found
way
make
small-scale
philosophy-ethics
whether
mathematics-logic
resolved
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Draining and clearing carbon-rich peat swamp forests for agriculture releases enormous amounts of stored carbon while also destroying unique ecosystems. Preventing this specific type of high-impact land conversion remains an unresolved policy and enforcement challenge.
climate-environment
global-unspecified
carbon-rich
peat
swamp
forests
yet
fully
prevent
agricultural
expansion
palm
philosophy-ethics
whether
way
mathematics-logic
resolved
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Fish populations often migrate across international boundaries, but management practices and quotas can vary significantly between neighboring countries sharing the same stock. Aligning these practices for shared, sustainable management remains unresolved.
climate-environment
global-unspecified
management
sustainable
countries
same
fish
haven
solved
make
fisheries
consistent
philosophy-ethics
whether
mathematics-logic
way
resolved
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Invasive plant species can spread aggressively in forest understories, crowding out native plants that many forest animals depend on for food and habitat. Effective, scalable control of this lower-profile but significant ecological threat remains incomplete.
mathematics-logic
global-unspecified
forest
scalable
native
plants
invasive
species
don
have
way
prevent
philosophy-ethics
whether
determine
agreed
resolved
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
A large share of organic waste still ends up in landfills producing methane simply because industrial composting infrastructure isn't available in enough regions. Building this capacity out at the scale needed remains an unresolved waste management challenge.
climate-environment
global-unspecified
waste-management
waste
composting
available
enough
regions
organic
haven
found
way
make
whether
philosophy-ethics
mathematics-logic
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Forests act as natural carbon sinks, but increasingly severe wildfires are turning some forests from carbon absorbers into carbon emitters faster than they can regrow and recover. Reversing this shift remains an unresolved climate feedback challenge.
climate-environment
global-unspecified
carbon
sinks
increasingly
severe
wildfires
yet
fully
prevent
depletion
forest
whether
philosophy-ethics
mathematics-logic
haven
resolved
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Many consumer electronics are built in ways that make repair difficult or uneconomical, encouraging early replacement and contributing significantly to electronic waste. Shifting the industry toward genuinely repairable design remains an unresolved manufacturing and policy challenge.
society-governance
global-unspecified
make
consumer
electronics
repairable
early
replacement
haven
solved
fully
rather
whether
philosophy-ethics
mathematics-logic
way
climate-environment
resolved
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Fraudulent scholarship offers generated to look authentic can convincingly target students seeking financial aid, extracting personal or banking information under false pretenses. Detection and public awareness campaigns remain inconsistently effective.
economics-resources
global-unspecified
scholarship
offers
students
build
fully
reliable
systems
detect
ai-generated
fake
whether
philosophy-ethics
technology-computing
prevent
way
mathematics-logic
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Sophisticated fake prescriptions generated with AI assistance can be difficult for pharmacies to distinguish from legitimate ones without additional verification steps. Closing this gap remains an urgent unresolved challenge for pharmaceutical safety.
health-biology
global-unspecified
fake
prescriptions
yet
build
technology
reliably
detects
ai-generated
medical
illegally
whether
philosophy-ethics
mathematics-logic
technology-computing
way
prevent
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Fraudulent insurance solicitations using AI-generated communication can convincingly mimic legitimate agents, leading victims to pay for coverage that doesn't actually exist. Detecting and shutting down these operations quickly remains an unresolved consumer protection challenge.
society-governance
global-unspecified
ai-generated
insurance
agents
convincingly
don
have
scalable
way
prevent
fake
whether
philosophy-ethics
resolved
determine
agreed
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Fraudulent warranty claims, sometimes supported by AI-generated fake documentation or images, can cost manufacturers significant money if not caught before payout. Detecting this kind of fraud at scale remains an unresolved operational challenge.
technology-computing
global-unspecified
fake
warranty
manufacturers
haven
solved
prevent
large-scale
automated
claim
scams
whether
philosophy-ethics
way
resolved
mathematics-logic
