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.
Publicly citable
Every problem has a stable citation code for reference and discussion.
Filtered by relevance
Search by category, geography, status, and keywords.
Builder-oriented
Use the repository to find startup ideas, policy leads, and research agendas.
4194Total
4194Open
0Solved
9Humans
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Many major rivers and aquifers are being pumped or diverted faster than rainfall can replenish them, threatening long-term water security. Without better management, some regions may simply run out of accessible fresh water.
climate-environment
global-unspecified
rivers
being
faster
stop
groundwater
drained
refill
water
major
aquifers
whether
philosophy-ethics
urban
don
long
asia
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Droughts, floods, and shifting seasons are making traditional farming less reliable in many regions. Crops that can handle this unpredictability are essential to keeping global food supply stable.
climate-environment
global-unspecified
crops
don
have
resilient
enough
survive
increasingly
unpredictable
weather
patterns
whether
philosophy-ethics
determine
way
resolved
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Coral bleaching events are becoming more frequent as ocean temperatures rise, and restoration efforts are still small and slow. Without faster recovery methods, many reef ecosystems may not survive this century.
climate-environment
global-unspecified
coral
ocean
rebuild
reefs
fast
enough
keep
pace
warming
bleaching
whether
philosophy-ethics
near
protecting
marine
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Fish farming was supposed to relieve pressure on wild fisheries, but many farms still rely on wild-caught fish for feed. A truly sustainable seafood system would need to break that dependency entirely.
climate-environment
global-unspecified
fish
seafood
wild
haven
figured
out
farm
collapsing
populations
farming
whether
philosophy-ethics
mathematics-logic
have
prevent
way
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Turning seawater into drinking water is technically possible but still too energy-intensive and expensive for many water-scarce regions. Cheaper desalination could solve water shortages for millions of people.
climate-environment
global-unspecified
seawater
drinking
don
have
reliable
way
desalinate
cheaply
enough
widespread
whether
philosophy-ethics
determine
resolved
agreed
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Data gets copied, backed up, and shared across so many servers that a single delete request rarely removes every trace. Real digital privacy requires a technical guarantee that deletion actually means deletion.
technology-computing
global-unspecified
guarantee
data
every
personal
once
deleted
truly
gone
system
touched
society-governance
whether
trust
philosophy-ethics
building
incomplete
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
We can now detect many dangerous asteroids years in advance, but we still lack a proven way to redirect or destroy one heading for Earth. One unlucky strike could cause damage on a civilization-ending scale.
science-space
global-unspecified
earth
haven
figured
out
reliably
protect
large
asteroid
impact
now
whether
philosophy-ethics
mathematics-logic
resolved
way
know
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Some volcanoes give warning signs, but many erupt with little notice, putting nearby populations at serious risk. Better prediction could prevent mass casualties near active volcanoes worldwide.
health-biology
global-unspecified
accurately
forecast
volcanic
eruptions
happen
volcanoes
some
give
warning
signs
whether
philosophy-ethics
haven
mathematics-logic
resolved
early
People displaced by climate impacts from Poland have no dedicated legal migration pathway under current international frameworks, leaving many in prolonged legal limbo.
climate-environment
europe
poland
legal
pathway
people
improving
access
climate-displaced
displaced
climate
impacts
global-unspecified
society-governance
philosophy-ethics
whether
migration
under
Informal minibus and paratransit systems in Germany carry the majority of urban commuters but operate without route optimization, safety standards, or integration with formal transit planning.
mathematics-logic
europe
germany
informal
transit
systems
formalizing
improving
minibus
paratransit
carry
majority
society-governance
technology-computing
settlements
economics-resources
climate-environment
public
Despite recognition of its importance, reliable methods for methods for assessing the social equity impacts of different climate mitigation and adaptation strategies 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
germany
methods
assessing
social
equity
impacts
different
climate
mitigation
adaptation
strategies
systems
society-governance
enabling
solutions
barriers
Develop lower-waste consumables, chemical substitution, energy-efficient equipment, and procurement systems without compromising scientific rigor.
climate-environment
europe
germany
reducing
environmental
footprint
laboratory
research
develop
lower-waste
consumables
chemical
substitution
systems
society-governance
technology-computing
procurement
economics-resources
Build coordinated monitoring, habitat protection, energy-infrastructure planning, and legal cooperation for species crossing many countries.
society-governance
asia
central-asia
protecting
migratory
bird
routes
multiple
jurisdictions
build
coordinated
monitoring
habitat
across
philosophy-ethics
global-unspecified
whether
mathematics-logic
Registering a new business in Germany often requires navigating multiple disconnected agencies with redundant paperwork, discouraging formalization of small enterprises.
climate-environment
europe
germany
business
reducing
bureaucratic
delay
registration
processes
registering
new
often
africa
south
ukraine
poland
open
Democratic Republic of Congo, Africa
Utilities and hospitals in Democratic Republic of Congo increasingly face ransomware attacks, but many operate on legacy systems without the budget or expertise to implement modern cybersecurity defenses.
technology-computing
africa
democratic-republic-of-congo
cybersecurity
democratic
republic
congo
ransomware
attacks
protecting
critical
infrastructure
utilities
hospitals
systems
society-governance
economics-resources
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
Germany's aging population is outpacing the development of affordable elder care facilities and trained caregiving staff, leaving many families without support for elderly relatives.
social-civic-problems
europe
germany
affordable
elder
care
aging
building
infrastructure
populations
population
outpacing
global-unspecified
health-biology
philosophy-ethics
A detailed explanation regarding the systemic constraints, lack of infrastructure, or technological gap associated with climate & environment in the context of emerging markets and global sustainability goals.
climate-environment
africa
kenya
climate
environment
development
sustainable
solutions
germany
detailed
explanation
regarding
systemic
society-governance
systems
mechanisms
institutional
methods
A persistent gap exists in realizing practical, scalable solutions for pandemic data-sharing protocols balancing sovereignty and response speed. 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
europe
germany
scalable
solutions
pandemic
data-sharing
protocols
balancing
sovereignty
response
speed
persistent
systems
methods
practical
governance
ensuring
A persistent gap exists in realizing practical, scalable solutions for interventions that improve the quality of democratic participation and representation. 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
europe
germany
interventions
improve
quality
democratic
participation
representation
integrated
pathways
persistent
gap
solutions
systems
methods
scalable
practical