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
Build low-cost metagenomic and biosensor systems that identify emerging resistance genes in sewage networks early enough for hospitals and public-health agencies to alter treatment protocols.
health-biology
resistance
detecting
antimicrobial
wastewater
clinical
outbreaks
build
low-cost
metagenomic
biosensor
systems
society-governance
health
environmental
early
climate-environment
Standard trauma-focused therapy models are frequently misaligned with the cultural frameworks of displaced populations from Global, reducing engagement and effectiveness among refugees receiving care abroad.
climate-environment
therapy
displaced
populations
building
culturally
adapted
protocols
standard
trauma-focused
global-unspecified
whether
philosophy-ethics
Manufacturers in Poland largely dispose of byproducts that could be inputs for other industries, but there is no matchmaking infrastructure connecting waste streams to potential users.
climate-environment
europe
poland
byproducts
building
industrial
symbiosis
networks
reuse
manufacturing
manufacturers
largely
global-unspecified
waste
africa
Flash floods in Australia frequently strike with too little warning for effective evacuation, because rainfall and river-level monitoring networks remain too sparse to model localized risk accurately.
climate-environment
oceania
australia
flash
strengthening
early-warning
systems
flooding
too
floods
frequently
strike
warning
early
economics-resources
global-unspecified
open
United States, North America
Food retail in United States remains heavily dependent on single-use plastic packaging, and affordable, scalable biodegradable alternatives have not reached price parity for small vendors.
climate-environment
north-america
united-states
single-use
plastic
food
retail
united
states
reducing
reliance
remains
heavily
global-unspecified
single
use
whether
philosophy-ethics
Illegal and unreported fishing vessels operating near Peru's waters are difficult to track due to limited satellite coverage and insufficient coordination between regional maritime authorities.
science-space
south-america
peru
illegal
unreported
fishing
waters
near
mapping
mitigating
vessels
operating
coastal
global-unspecified
local-regional
logging
open
United Kingdom, Europe
Survivors of gender-based violence in Ukraine frequently avoid reporting due to social stigma, distrust of law enforcement, and lack of confidential support services in their communities.
society-governance
europe
united-kingdom
gender-based
violence
reporting
ukraine
reducing
barriers
survivors
frequently
avoid
due
gender
based
global-unspecified
health-biology
whether
Children displaced from Yemen frequently experience multi-year gaps in schooling because host communities lack accredited pathways to integrate them into local education systems.
social-civic-problems
asia
yemen
education
displaced
children
providing
continuity
frequently
experience
multi-year
gaps
systems
global-unspecified
economics-resources
society-governance
health-biology
Vietnam sits along a known wildlife trafficking corridor, and enforcement agencies lack the forensic and tracking tools needed to intercept shipments and prosecute organized trafficking networks effectively.
economics-resources
asia
vietnam
trafficking
wildlife
curbing
illegal
routes
sits
along
known
corridor
global-unspecified
trade
have
philosophy-ethics
Elections in Bangladesh have been targeted by coordinated disinformation campaigns that spread faster than fact-checking organizations and platforms can respond.
society-governance
asia
bangladesh
coordinated
disinformation
campaigns
elections
countering
targeting
have
been
targeted
global-unspecified
whether
philosophy-ethics
technology-computing
haven
Most households in Peru still cook with biomass fuels, driving deforestation and indoor air pollution, while clean cookstove adoption remains low due to upfront cost and unfamiliar cooking behavior.
climate-environment
south-america
peru
air-pollution
deforestation
cooking
reducing
dependence
charcoal
firewood
households
cook
biomass
fuels
global-unspecified
air
pollution
open
Colombia, South America
Electronic waste volumes in Colombia are rising rapidly, but formal recycling capacity remains minimal, pushing most e-waste into informal, hazardous dismantling operations.
climate-environment
south-america
colombia
e-waste
recycling
scaling
infrastructure
electronic
waste
volumes
rising
rapidly
global-unspecified
systems
informal
urban
african
open
Brazil, South America
Achieving systems for verifying the absence of forced labor throughout complex global supply chains at meaningful scale demands simultaneous progress in fundamental research, engineering integration and socio-technical systems that work for low- and middle-income settings. Existing efforts remain fragmented relative to the magnitude of the challenge.
economics-resources
south-america
brazil
supply-chain
systems
verifying
absence
forced
labor
throughout
complex
supply
chains
society-governance
climate-environment
technology-computing
solutions
methods
Affordable housing construction in Philippines is constrained by the high cost of imported cement and steel, while locally viable alternative materials remain underused due to lack of building code recognition.
social-civic-problems
asia
philippines
construction
affordable
housing
reducing
material
costs
constrained
high
cost
climate-environment
global-unspecified
materials
society-governance
open
United States, North America
Peri-urban areas surrounding major cities in United States have inconsistent internet access, limiting residents' access to remote work, telehealth, and digital financial services.
technology-computing
north-america
united-states
digital
peri-urban
areas
united
states
extending
affordable
connectivity
access
surrounding
global-unspecified
society-governance
african
remains
social-civic-problems
Small-scale fishers in Bangladesh often operate without formal recognition or access to credit, insurance, or market infrastructure, leaving them economically vulnerable and undercounted in fisheries policy.
economics-resources
asia
bangladesh
small-scale
formalizing
fisher
livelihoods
rights
fishers
often
operate
formal
small
scale
global-unspecified
african
informal
remains
Public transit systems in Australia largely lack infrastructure accommodating wheelchair users and other mobility-impaired riders, effectively excluding them from affordable transportation.
society-governance
oceania
australia
public
transit
improving
accessibility
people
disabilities
systems
largely
lack
technology-computing
global-unspecified
haven
whether
governance
open
South Africa, Africa
Schools in South Africa rarely have counselors trained to screen for depression, and stigma around mental illness discourages families from seeking care even where services technically exist.
social-civic-problems
africa
south-africa
depression
schools
south
addressing
untreated
adolescent
under-resourced
rarely
have
health-biology
global-unspecified
mental-health
open
Mexico, North America
Tuberculosis treatment in Mexico requires six or more months of consistent dosing, but migrant and seasonal workers frequently relocate mid-treatment, breaking continuity of care and driving drug-resistant strains.
health-biology
north-america
mexico
tuberculosis
treatment
migrant
workers
sustaining
adherence
among
requires
six
global-unspecified
philosophy-ethics
whether
haven
way
open
Haiti, North America
Women in rural areas of Haiti often travel long distances for reproductive healthcare, and the shortage of trained providers leaves many without access to family planning or maternal care services.
economics-resources
north-america
haiti
access
reproductive
healthcare
rural
expanding
safe
women
areas
often
global-unspecified
remains
african
urban
