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
Floods, earthquakes, and storms hit ill-prepared cities. Risk-sensitive planning and early-warning systems can reduce impacts.
climate-environment
global-unspecified
urban
disaster
risk
management
underdeveloped
floods
earthquakes
storms
hit
ill-prepared
systems
cities
society-governance
african
water
climate
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Landfills and dumping persist. Circular waste industries and source separation can help.
climate-environment
global-unspecified
waste-management
waste
urban
management
systems
struggle
volume
recycling
landfills
dumping
persist
economics-resources
plastic
circular
african
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Resource use grows faster than population. Circular economy models can reduce footprints.
economics-resources
global-unspecified
material
footprint
consumption
keeps
rising
resource
grows
faster
population
circular
society-governance
interventions
reduce
systems
climate-environment
economy
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Single-use plastics overwhelm systems. Bans, alternatives, and recycling can reduce pollution.
climate-environment
global-unspecified
waste-management
plastic
waste
management
inadequate
single-use
plastics
overwhelm
systems
bans
alternatives
society-governance
recycling
african
haven
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Intensive agriculture degrades land and biodiversity. Sustainable farming and diets can mitigate impacts.
climate-environment
global-unspecified
biodiversity
food
systems
generate
both
waste
environmental
harm
intensive
agriculture
degrades
society-governance
methods
economics-resources
real
time
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Consumers cannot see environmental and social impacts. Traceability systems and reporting standards are needed.
economics-resources
global-unspecified
supply-chain
corporate
supply
chains
lack
transparency
consumers
cannot
see
environmental
social
systems
society-governance
climate-environment
methods
technology-computing
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Toxic materials contaminate land and water. Stronger regulation and treatment facilities are needed.
society-governance
global-unspecified
hazardous
waste
disposal
poorly
regulated
some
regions
toxic
materials
contaminate
mathematics-logic
reuse
might
local
actors
climate-environment
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Buildings waste energy and materials. Green building standards can improve performance.
climate-environment
global-unspecified
built
environment
design
often
ignores
resource
efficiency
buildings
waste
energy
materials
society-governance
systems
standards
african
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Waste from one sector could be inputs for another. Platforms to match by-products with users can enable symbiosis.
technology-computing
global-unspecified
symbiosis
industrial
opportunities
untapped
waste
sector
inputs
another
platforms
match
climate-environment
byproducts
building
africa
african
management
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Standards vary, complicating comparison. Harmonized ESG metrics can help.
society-governance
global-unspecified
data
corporate
sustainability
performance
inconsistent
standards
vary
complicating
comparison
harmonized
limited
african
incomplete
sparse
climate-environment
technology-computing
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Current pledges lead to higher warming. Stronger NDCs and enforcement mechanisms are required.
climate-environment
global-unspecified
national
emissions
reduction
commitments
remain
insufficient
current
pledges
lead
higher
society-governance
mechanisms
ensuring
design
principles
solutions
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Many climate-vulnerable nations lack resources to adapt. Innovative finance tools and grant mechanisms are needed.
climate-environment
global-unspecified
finance
adaptation
vulnerable
countries
falls
short
needs
climate-vulnerable
nations
lack
mechanisms
climate
ensuring
african
access
development
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Communities already losing land and livelihoods see little support. Operationalizing loss-and-damage funds is critical.
climate-environment
global-unspecified
loss
damage
climate
impacts
lack
clear
compensation
mechanisms
communities
already
economics-resources
society-governance
african
relocation
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Communities lack timely information on risks. Low-cost monitoring and alerts can save lives.
climate-environment
global-unspecified
climate
data
early-warning
systems
sparse
regions
communities
lack
timely
information
society-governance
technology-computing
african
monitoring
under
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Coal and fossil-fuel workers risk job loss. Transition support and reskilling programs are essential.
climate-environment
global-unspecified
workers
just
transitions
high-emission
sectors
under-planned
coal
fossil-fuel
risk
job
economics-resources
informal
technology-computing
health-biology
african
automation
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Cities expand into floodplains and coasts. Climate-informed spatial planning can reduce exposure.
climate-environment
global-unspecified
urban-planning
planning
urban
rarely
integrates
long-term
climate
risks
cities
expand
floodplains
society-governance
african
change
governance
systems
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Farmers lack guidance on future climates. Climate-smart agriculture extension is needed.
climate-environment
global-unspecified
agricultural
adaptation
strategies
underdeveloped
farmers
lack
guidance
future
climates
climate-smart
standards
buildings
designed
smallholder
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Misinformation and politicization hinder action. Communication strategies and education can improve literacy.
social-civic-problems
global-unspecified
public
understanding
climate
science
varies
widely
misinformation
politicization
hinder
action
society-governance
climate-environment
improve
institutional
under
migration
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Investors cannot fully assess vulnerabilities. Climate-risk disclosure frameworks can help.
climate-environment
global-unspecified
data
private-sector
climate
risk
exposure
limited
investors
cannot
fully
assess
society-governance
systems
technology-computing
african
whether
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Runoff and sewage damage reefs and fisheries. Integrated coastal zone management can address this.
climate-environment
global-unspecified
coastal
pollution
land-based
sources
harms
marine
ecosystems
runoff
sewage
damage
communities
fishing
economics-resources
whether
mathematics-logic
philosophy-ethics