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
Ecuador, South America
The absence of robust, context-adapted solutions for nature-based solutions for landslide risk reduction on steep slopes in tropical regions 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
south-america
ecuador
solutions
nature-based
landslide
risk
reduction
steep
slopes
tropical
regions
breakthrough
systems
climate-environment
methods
enabling
nature
open
Canada, North America
Current approaches to institutional innovations reducing the lag between scientific evidence and policy action 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
canada
institutional
innovations
reducing
lag
between
scientific
evidence
policy
action
deployable
systems
climate-environment
enabling
designs
solutions
Achieving durable solutions for plastic and microplastic removal from ocean gyres 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.
climate-environment
europe
portugal
durable
solutions
plastic
microplastic
removal
ocean
gyres
deployable
technologies
achieving
society-governance
economics-resources
systems
methods
ensuring
Mobile money platforms widely used in Peru are frequent targets of SIM-swap and social engineering fraud, and current verification protocols are insufficient to prevent account takeovers.
technology-computing
south-america
peru
mobile
money
platforms
fraud
securing
against
widely
frequent
targets
global-unspecified
african
remains
philosophy-ethics
open
Brazil, South America
Despite recognition of its importance, reliable methods for affordable methods for continuous monitoring of air and water quality in informal settlements 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
south-america
brazil
methods
affordable
continuous
monitoring
air
water
quality
informal
settlements
robust
society-governance
systems
economics-resources
enabling
health-biology
Despite recognition of its importance, reliable methods for ambient methane oxidation catalysts for livestock regions 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
portugal
ambient
methane
oxidation
catalysts
livestock
regions
deployable
technologies
despite
recognition
methods
systems
barriers
society-governance
designs
Achieving governance models for the responsible development of brain-computer interface technologies 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.
society-governance
europe
netherlands
governance
models
responsible
development
brain-computer
interface
technologies
systemic
solutions
addressing
economics-resources
systems
climate-environment
ensuring
enabling
open
Brazil, South America
Dengue surveillance in Brazil is largely retrospective, relying on confirmed case counts reported weeks after transmission has already accelerated, rather than integrating mosquito density, rainfall, and mobility data into a forward-looking model.
local-regional
south-america
brazil
dengue
predicting
localized
outbreaks
peak
surveillance
largely
retrospective
relying
peru
colombia
mexico
haiti
Achieving architectural and urban designs that maximize resilience to compound climate hazards 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.
climate-environment
asia
cambodia
architectural
urban
designs
maximize
resilience
compound
climate
hazards
practical
realization
economics-resources
systems
society-governance
methods
solutions
The absence of robust, context-adapted solutions for low-cost genomic surveillance platforms for endemic and emerging pathogens 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
south-america
peru
low-cost
genomic
surveillance
platforms
endemic
emerging
pathogens
deployable
technologies
absence
solutions
systems
climate-environment
enabling
robust
The absence of robust, context-adapted solutions for solutions for managing the health and environmental impacts of expanding mining for energy transition minerals 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
philippines
solutions
managing
health
environmental
impacts
expanding
mining
energy
transition
minerals
systems
climate-environment
methods
enabling
robust
Municipal waste collection in rapidly growing cities of Poland fails to reach large portions of the population, resulting in informal dumping and public health risks.
health-biology
europe
poland
public-health
municipal
waste
collection
cities
improving
solid
coverage
fast-growing
rapidly
climate-environment
growing
global-unspecified
systems
african
Despite recognition of its importance, reliable methods for deliberation systems reducing affective polarization while preserving contestation 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
spain
deliberation
systems
reducing
affective
polarization
while
preserving
contestation
breakthrough
approaches
methods
society-governance
barriers
designs
economics-resources
Achieving interventions that close the gender gap in STEM participation in low-income settings 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
africa
tanzania
settings
interventions
close
gender
gap
stem
participation
low-income
deployable
technologies
systems
climate-environment
society-governance
solutions
methods
Current approaches to low-energy nitrogen fixation alternatives to Haber-Bosch at farm scale 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
europe
france
systems
low-energy
nitrogen
fixation
alternatives
haber-bosch
farm
scale
field-ready
current
climate-environment
enabling
approaches
under
technology-computing
open
United States, North America
A persistent gap exists in realizing practical, scalable solutions for pathways for achieving a just and equitable transition to a sustainable global economy. 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
north-america
united-states
pathways
achieving
just
equitable
transition
sustainable
economy
robust
methods
solutions
systems
enabling
scalable
climate-environment
technologies
open
Paraguay, South America
Current approaches to self-healing structural composites for marine cyclic loading 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
south-america
paraguay
self-healing
structural
composites
marine
cyclic
loading
integrated
pathways
current
approaches
systems
climate-environment
enabling
solutions
under
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
Farmers in remote regions of Vietnam lose significant crop value because seasonal roads become impassable during rains, cutting off access to markets during critical selling windows.
economics-resources
asia
vietnam
remote
regions
roads
connecting
agricultural
reliable
market
during
farmers
global-unspecified
whether
philosophy-ethics
technology-computing
climate-environment
open
Mexico, North America
The absence of robust, context-adapted solutions for interventions that reduce the prevalence of violence against women and children 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
mexico
interventions
reduce
prevalence
violence
against
women
children
population
scale
breakthrough
solutions
systems
climate-environment
robust
methods
