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
New Zealand, Oceania
Current approaches to higher-order assessments valid under unrestricted AI tool access 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
oceania
new-zealand
under
systems
higher-order
assessments
valid
unrestricted
tool
access
field-ready
current
climate-environment
enabling
technology-computing
solutions
designs
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
Chile, South America
Current approaches to methods for assessing the resilience of critical infrastructure to compound climate and cyber risks 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
south-america
chile
methods
assessing
resilience
critical
infrastructure
compound
climate
cyber
risks
deployable
society-governance
climate-environment
systems
enabling
under
open
Papua New Guinea, Oceania
Rural schools in Papua New Guinea face chronic teacher shortages because incentive structures rarely offset the professional isolation and reduced amenities of remote postings.
social-civic-problems
oceania
papua-new-guinea
rural
schools
papua
new
guinea
retaining
qualified
teachers
face
chronic
remains
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
The absence of robust, context-adapted solutions for governance models for ensuring the safety of advanced autonomous weapons 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
oceania
australia
governance
systems
robust
models
ensuring
safety
advanced
autonomous
weapons
methods
solutions
climate-environment
enabling
The absence of robust, context-adapted solutions for education systems that prepare students to navigate and shape the future of work with AI 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
india
systems
education
prepare
students
navigate
shape
future
work
breakthrough
approaches
solutions
climate-environment
ensuring
governance
technology-computing
Achieving privacy-preserving detection of coordinated platform influence operations 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.
technology-computing
asia
nepal
privacy-preserving
detection
coordinated
platform
influence
operations
breakthrough
approaches
achieving
meaningful
economics-resources
systems
climate-environment
society-governance
methods
Achieving interventions that improve mental health and social cohesion in rapidly urbanizing populations 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.
health-biology
asia
malaysia
mental-health
interventions
improve
mental
health
social
cohesion
rapidly
urbanizing
populations
systemic
economics-resources
climate-environment
systems
society-governance
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
Refugees hosted near Pakistan frequently possess professional qualifications that are not recognized locally, forcing skilled individuals into informal or unrelated low-wage work.
economics-resources
asia
pakistan
near
integrating
refugee
populations
host
labor
markets
refugees
hosted
building
displaced
vietnam
fiji
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
Current approaches to education systems that prepare citizens for active participation in democratic climate governance 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
asia
philippines
systems
education
prepare
citizens
active
participation
democratic
climate
governance
overcoming
climate-environment
enabling
under
technology-computing
solutions
open
New Zealand, Oceania
A persistent gap exists in realizing practical, scalable solutions for technologies for the continuous monitoring and verification of methane emissions from multiple sectors. 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
oceania
new-zealand
technologies
continuous
monitoring
verification
methane
emissions
multiple
sectors
robust
methods
solutions
systems
enabling
scalable
governance
open
New Zealand, Oceania
The absence of robust, context-adapted solutions for psychological first-aid and mental health systems scalable after mass trauma 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
new-zealand
mental-health
systems
psychological
first-aid
mental
health
scalable
mass
trauma
practical
realization
solutions
climate-environment
methods
enabling
open
United States, North America
Despite recognition of its importance, reliable methods for interventions that reduce the prevalence of non-communicable diseases through population-level action 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.
health-biology
north-america
united-states
methods
interventions
reduce
prevalence
non-communicable
diseases
population-level
action
robust
enabling
climate-environment
systems
society-governance
barriers
designs
Millions of households in Fiji rely on borewells with naturally occurring fluoride or arsenic above safe thresholds, and current filtration technology is too costly or maintenance-intensive for rural deployment.
health-biology
oceania
fiji
fluoride
arsenic
removing
contamination
groundwater
millions
households
rely
borewells
rural
climate-environment
open
Papua New Guinea, Oceania
The absence of robust, context-adapted solutions for technologies enabling safe long-duration human presence beyond low Earth orbit 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
technologies
human
beyond
low
enabling
safe
long-duration
presence
earth
orbit
solutions
systems
climate-environment
methods
robust
open
Solomon Islands, Oceania
Achieving self-sensing concrete reporting stress chloride and remaining life 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
oceania
solomon-islands
self-sensing
concrete
reporting
stress
chloride
remaining
life
practical
realization
achieving
climate-environment
systems
society-governance
methods
solutions
