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
open
United Kingdom, Europe
Communities in Ukraine recovering from disasters have almost no access to trained mental health counselors, and existing psychosocial first-aid programs are not designed to scale past a handful of trained volunteers.
health-biology
europe
united-kingdom
mental-health
psychosocial
disasters
ukraine
scaling
low-cost
support
natural
trained
communities
recovering
low
mental
health
global-unspecified
A large share of rural handpumps and boreholes in Kenya sit broken at any given time because there is no real-time monitoring system to alert maintenance crews before communities revert to unsafe water sources.
climate-environment
africa
kenya
monitoring
water
time
rural
point
functionality
real
large
share
global-unspecified
african
urban
Despite recognition of its importance, reliable methods for cognitive prosthetics augmenting working memory for specific learning profiles 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
cambodia
cognitive
prosthetics
augmenting
working
memory
specific
learning
profiles
systemic
solutions
methods
systems
barriers
society-governance
designs
open
Brazil, South America
Achieving real-time acoustic-optical networks tracking insect biomass decline 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
real-time
acoustic-optical
networks
tracking
insect
biomass
decline
deployable
technologies
achieving
systems
climate-environment
society-governance
methods
real
open
Bolivia, South America
Despite recognition of its importance, reliable methods for inclusive digital public infrastructure resistant to both outages and capture 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.
technology-computing
south-america
bolivia
inclusive
digital
public
infrastructure
resistant
both
outages
capture
deployable
technologies
climate-environment
methods
systems
society-governance
barriers
Despite recognition of its importance, reliable methods for AI systems that support rather than displace human judgment in clinical and legal settings 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
europe
poland
systems
support
rather
displace
human
judgment
clinical
legal
settings
deployable
society-governance
methods
economics-resources
technology-computing
designs
Current approaches to mechanisms ensuring that climate adaptation finance reaches the most vulnerable communities either underperform under variable field conditions or generate externalities that undermine long-term sustainability and equity. Closing the gap requires coordinated advances in science, systems design and enabling institutions.
climate-environment
oceania
australia
mechanisms
ensuring
climate
adaptation
finance
reaches
vulnerable
communities
integrated
pathways
society-governance
systems
enabling
under
solutions
The absence of robust, context-adapted solutions for solutions for providing safe drinking water in regions with high natural or anthropogenic contamination creates cascading risks across interconnected human and natural systems. Key missing elements include durable performance, low lifetime cost, and governance arrangements capable of sustaining impact beyond pilot stages.
society-governance
asia
malaysia
solutions
natural
providing
safe
drinking
water
regions
high
anthropogenic
contamination
systems
climate-environment
methods
enabling
robust
Current approaches to systems ensuring the reliability and security of digital infrastructure under climate extremes either underperform under variable field conditions or generate externalities that undermine long-term sustainability and equity. Closing the gap requires coordinated advances in science, systems design and enabling institutions.
technology-computing
europe
italy
systems
under
ensuring
reliability
security
digital
infrastructure
climate
extremes
systemic
society-governance
climate-environment
solutions
enabling
designs
open
Canada, North America
The absence of robust, context-adapted solutions for interventions that reliably improve mental health outcomes at population scale creates cascading risks across interconnected human and natural systems. Key missing elements include durable performance, low lifetime cost, and governance arrangements capable of sustaining impact beyond pilot stages.
society-governance
north-america
canada
mental-health
interventions
reliably
improve
mental
health
outcomes
population
scale
development
absence
solutions
systems
climate-environment
methods
The absence of robust, context-adapted solutions for protocols for the rapid and ethical evaluation of new medical and public health interventions creates cascading risks across interconnected human and natural systems. Key missing elements include durable performance, low lifetime cost, and governance arrangements capable of sustaining impact beyond pilot stages.
health-biology
europe
poland
public-health
protocols
rapid
ethical
evaluation
new
medical
public
health
interventions
practical
society-governance
solutions
systems
climate-environment
Informal settlements in Yemen largely rely on pit latrines with no formal desludging service, leading to overflow into waterways and elevated diarrheal disease rates among children.
health-biology
asia
yemen
informal
settlements
extending
fecal
sludge
management
largely
rely
pit
society-governance
economics-resources
systems
public
climate-environment
open
South Africa, Africa
Women remain significantly underrepresented in STEM higher education and careers in South Africa, a gap that begins with unequal encouragement and resources at the secondary school level.
social-civic-problems
africa
south-africa
women
stem
south
increasing
representation
fields
remain
significantly
underrepresented
global-unspecified
health-biology
society-governance
open
Papua New Guinea, Oceania
Current approaches to methods for quantifying the full environmental and social costs of different energy pathways either underperform under variable field conditions or generate externalities that undermine long-term sustainability and equity. Closing the gap requires coordinated advances in science, systems design and enabling institutions.
climate-environment
oceania
papua-new-guinea
methods
quantifying
full
environmental
social
costs
different
energy
pathways
development
society-governance
systems
enabling
approaches
solutions
open
New Zealand, Oceania
Despite recognition of its importance, reliable methods for scalable methods for restoring peatland hydrology and carbon stocks 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
oceania
new-zealand
methods
scalable
restoring
peatland
hydrology
carbon
stocks
deployable
technologies
despite
systems
society-governance
barriers
solutions
designs
Current approaches to architectural and planning approaches that make cities more equitable and climate-resilient simultaneously either underperform under variable field conditions or generate externalities that undermine long-term sustainability and equity. Closing the gap requires coordinated advances in science, systems design and enabling institutions.
climate-environment
europe
italy
approaches
architectural
planning
make
cities
equitable
climate-resilient
simultaneously
scalable
solutions
society-governance
systems
enabling
under
designs
A persistent gap exists in realizing practical, scalable solutions for institutional designs that make long-term climate and sustainability policy more durable across political cycles. Scientific understanding, engineering readiness and institutional capacity remain insufficient to translate promising concepts into durable impact under real-world constraints of cost, skills and governance.
society-governance
asia
philippines
institutional
durable
designs
make
long-term
climate
sustainability
policy
political
cycles
solutions
systems
climate-environment
methods
scalable
Achieving technologies for safe and efficient long-distance transport of hydrogen and ammonia 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
europe
sweden
technologies
safe
efficient
long-distance
transport
hydrogen
ammonia
development
achieving
meaningful
climate-environment
systems
society-governance
solutions
enabling
open
Guatemala, North America
Current approaches to technologies enabling efficient and low-impact desalination and water treatment at various scales either underperform under variable field conditions or generate externalities that undermine long-term sustainability and equity. Closing the gap requires coordinated advances in science, systems design and enabling institutions.
society-governance
north-america
guatemala
enabling
technologies
efficient
low-impact
desalination
water
treatment
various
scales
robust
climate-environment
systems
methods
approaches
solutions
A persistent gap exists in realizing practical, scalable solutions for pathways for integrating traditional ecological knowledge with modern environmental management. Scientific understanding, engineering readiness and institutional capacity remain insufficient to translate promising concepts into durable impact under real-world constraints of cost, skills and governance.
society-governance
africa
ethiopia
pathways
integrating
traditional
ecological
knowledge
modern
environmental
management
robust
methods
solutions
systems
enabling
scalable
technologies
