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
The absence of robust, context-adapted solutions for nature-based solutions for river basin management that balance human and ecological needs 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
south-korea
solutions
human
nature-based
river
basin
management
balance
ecological
needs
systemic
systems
climate-environment
methods
enabling
robust
open
United Kingdom, Europe
The absence of robust, context-adapted solutions for solutions for providing safe dignified and sustainable livelihoods for climate-vulnerable populations 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.
climate-environment
europe
united-kingdom
solutions
robust
providing
safe
dignified
sustainable
livelihoods
climate-vulnerable
populations
methods
society-governance
systems
enabling
technologies
governance
The absence of robust, context-adapted solutions for low-cost sensors and models for tracking plastic pollution from source to ocean 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.
climate-environment
africa
zambia
solutions
low-cost
sensors
models
tracking
plastic
pollution
source
ocean
systemic
society-governance
systems
methods
robust
governance
open
Solomon Islands, Oceania
The absence of robust, context-adapted solutions for designs for digital identity systems that protect privacy while enabling service access 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
oceania
solomon-islands
enabling
systems
robust
designs
digital
identity
protect
privacy
while
service
solutions
climate-environment
technology-computing
methods
open
Colombia, South America
The absence of robust, context-adapted solutions for methods for quantifying the biodiversity and carbon co-benefits of different restoration approaches 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.
climate-environment
south-america
colombia
biodiversity
methods
quantifying
carbon
co-benefits
different
restoration
approaches
overcoming
barriers
society-governance
systems
solutions
enabling
robust
open
Papua New Guinea, Oceania
Achieving designs for public spaces that promote social connection and mental well-being in dense cities 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.
science-space
oceania
papua-new-guinea
designs
public
spaces
promote
social
connection
mental
well-being
dense
cities
economics-resources
climate-environment
systems
society-governance
solutions
Smallholder farmers in Myanmar lose a substantial share of harvested grain to pests, mold, and poor storage before it ever reaches market, largely due to the cost of hermetic storage technology.
economics-resources
asia
myanmar
grain
smallholder
farmers
cutting
post-harvest
losses
among
storage
lose
climate-environment
connecting
fair
water
The absence of robust, context-adapted solutions for methods for quantifying the full social and environmental costs of different mobility systems 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
europe
portugal
systems
methods
quantifying
full
social
environmental
costs
different
mobility
deployable
solutions
climate-environment
enabling
robust
ensuring
Millions of rural households in Bangladesh remain unconnected to the grid, and mini-grid and solar home system providers struggle with financing models that make service affordable while remaining commercially viable.
climate-environment
asia
bangladesh
rural
households
extending
reliable
electricity
off-grid
millions
remain
unconnected
local
might
actors
social-civic-problems
mathematics-logic
health-biology
The absence of robust, context-adapted solutions for modular housing meeting simultaneous seismic flood and heat standards 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
oceania
samoa
modular
housing
meeting
simultaneous
seismic
flood
heat
standards
integrated
pathways
solutions
systems
climate-environment
robust
methods
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
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
open
United States, North America
The absence of robust, context-adapted solutions for scalable interventions improving executive function after chronic stress 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
united-states
scalable
solutions
interventions
improving
executive
function
chronic
stress
absence
robust
systems
climate-environment
methods
enabling
ensuring
open
Papua New Guinea, Oceania
The absence of robust, context-adapted solutions for governance frameworks for the ethical development and deployment of human enhancement technologies 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
oceania
papua-new-guinea
governance
human
solutions
frameworks
ethical
development
deployment
enhancement
technologies
scalable
systems
climate-environment
methods
enabling
ensuring
Design systems that remain usable for people with limited literacy, disability, low connectivity, language barriers, or insecure documentation. The challenge is especially acute in remote island communities, where existing solutions often assume stable institutions, high incomes, continuous connectivity, or centralized service delivery.
social-civic-problems
asia
indonesia
remote
island
communities
inclusive
access
digital
public
services
connectivity
design
economics-resources
society-governance
systems
Create conservation and restoration approaches that protect biodiversity while sustaining the people whose food, income, and culture depend on those ecosystems. The challenge is especially acute in informal settlements, where existing solutions often assume stable institutions, high incomes, continuous connectivity, or centralized service delivery.
economics-resources
africa
nigeria
biodiversity
ecosystems
informal
settlements
protection
supporting
local
livelihoods
create
conservation
restoration
communities
society-governance
public
social-civic-problems
Develop practical data collection, modeling, public deliberation, and evaluation tools for decisions currently made with incomplete or inaccessible evidence. The challenge is especially acute in informal settlements, where existing solutions often assume stable institutions, high incomes, continuous connectivity, or centralized service delivery.
society-governance
africa
nigeria
evidence
decisions
informal
settlements
local
difficult
policy
develop
practical
data
economics-resources
communities
public
worker
Create safe, economically viable collection, sorting, repair, reuse, and material-recovery systems suited to decentralized local markets. The challenge is especially acute in informal settlements, where existing solutions often assume stable institutions, high incomes, continuous connectivity, or centralized service delivery.
economics-resources
africa
nigeria
local
informal
settlements
circular
recovery
overlooked
waste
streams
create
safe
society-governance
communities
might
actors
public
Develop enforceable, worker-centered protections for safety, pay, benefits, bargaining, and grievance resolution outside conventional employment. The challenge is especially acute in informal settlements, where existing solutions often assume stable institutions, high incomes, continuous connectivity, or centralized service delivery.
economics-resources
africa
nigeria
informal
settlements
worker
protection
fragmented
economies
develop
enforceable
worker-centered
protections
communities
society-governance
public
social-civic-problems
remote