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
Frequent commercial launches risk disrupting the ozone layer and altering upper-atmosphere global thermal dynamics. Clean-burning propellants like methalox or hydrogen-based engines must be evaluated for environmental impact.
climate-environment
global-unspecified
launches
high-altitude
rocket
deposit
light-absorbing
black
carbon
directly
stratosphere
frequent
frequency
hole
cannot
science-space
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Converting Mars' 95% CO2 atmosphere into plastics, methane, and industrial reagents requires complex catalysts that foul quickly. High-efficiency solid oxide electrolysis systems optimized for dirty ambient gas are needed.
climate-environment
global-unspecified
industrial
cannot
reliably
synthesize
high-purity
chemicals
martian
atmospheric
carbon
dioxide
methane
systems
society-governance
fast
growing
high
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Commercial point-to-point rocket or scramjet transit is limited to ocean routes due to severe atmospheric shockwaves. Low-boom aerodynamic shaping and active acoustic damping technologies must be developed.
climate-environment
global-unspecified
sub-orbital
hypersonic
passenger
vehicles
cause
extreme
noise
pollution
sonic
booms
preventing
automated
economics-resources
urban
major
ocean
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
The solar magnetic dynamo flip drives the solar activity cycle, but we cannot accurately predict cycle strength decades in advance. High-resolution solar interior magnetohydrodynamic models are required.
climate-environment
global-unspecified
magnetic
solar
not
have
comprehensive
model
explaining
periodic
reversal
sun
whether
science-space
haven
philosophy-ethics
mathematics-logic
know
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Solar panels provide zero power during the two-week lunar night, where temperatures drop to -130°C. Regenerative fuel cells and compact nuclear reactors tailored for long lunar nights are required.
climate-environment
global-unspecified
lunar
night
lack
autonomous
long-life
surface
energy
storage
14-day-long
operations
solar
science-space
power
small
businesses
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Solar sails require ultra-thin, kilometer-wide polymer films that cannot be safely deployed without tangling or tearing. Zero-g robotic vapor deposition or automated truss deployment frames must be engineered.
climate-environment
global-unspecified
cannot
solar
sails
efficiently
manufacture
mega-scale
lightweight
orbit
require
ultra-thin
whether
africa
infrastructure
waste
mathematics-logic
battery
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Standard Extravehicular Mobility Units vent water into space to keep astronauts cool, depleting habitat reserves. Closed-loop heat pump suits or phase-change cooling garments need to be integrated into next-gen suits.
science-space
global-unspecified
water
space
cooling
current
suit
systems
rely
sublimation
wasting
critical
climate-environment
whether
urban
philosophy-ethics
cities
society-governance
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Objects originating from outside our solar system pass through at extreme hyperbolic velocities with minimal discovery lead-time. High-delta-v interceptor platforms on standby in deep space orbits are required for defense.
science-space
global-unspecified
defense
objects
lack
operational
planetary
mechanism
deflect
large
fast-moving
interstellar
climate-environment
space
high
autonomous
docking
In archipelagic nations like the Philippines, vulnerable households repeatedly lose livestock, crops, and home infrastructure to severe seasonal storms. Standard microfinance models often default during disasters, compounding debt cycles rather than relieving poverty.
climate-environment
asia
philippines
poverty
haven
developed
climate-resilient
financial
instruments
prevent
coastal
communities
falling
global-unspecified
economics-resources
whether
philosophy-ethics
resolved
Up to 40% of fresh produce in nations like Vietnam, Myanmar, and Indonesia spoils before reaching urban markets due to lack of refrigerated transport, decentralized storage, and unreliable off-grid power, exacerbating regional food insecurity.
local-regional
asia
indonesia
haven
created
scalable
cold-chain
networks
capable
preventing
post-harvest
crop
losses
african
urban
rural
climate-environment
economics-resources
The Mekong and Ganges-Brahmaputra deltas are experiencing severe saltwater intrusion, rendering traditional rice paddies unproductive. Alternative crop strains and soil remediation techniques have not been deployed at the scale needed to sustain millions of farming households.
climate-environment
asia
bangladesh
soil
deltas
haven
successfully
mitigated
salinization
agricultural
river
impacted
sea-level
global-unspecified
philosophy-ethics
way
whether
mathematics-logic
In major agricultural and industrial manufacturing regions across East and South Asia, overuse of antibiotics in livestock and unmonitored factory discharge have accelerated the proliferation of drug-resistant pathogens, threatening global healthcare systems.
health-biology
asia
india
agricultural
haven
halted
rapid
surge
antimicrobial
resistance
driven
unregulated
pharmaceutical
global-unspecified
systems
climate-environment
whether
philosophy-ethics
Seasonal crop burning, industrial emissions, and vehicle exhaust generate high concentrations of PM2.5 across the Indo-Gangetic Plain, shaving years off average life expectancy without unified cross-border environmental governance.
climate-environment
asia
nepal
air-pollution
haven
effectively
mitigated
life-shortening
particulate
air
pollution
major
south
asian
global-unspecified
quality
urban
african
Millions of people across Bangladesh, West Bengal, and the Mekong region consume groundwater contaminated with toxic levels of arsenic and fluoride, causing severe chronic diseases due to lack of affordable community filtration systems.
health-biology
asia
bangladesh
arsenic
groundwater
haven
engineered
low-cost
technologies
filter
naturally
occurring
heavy
contamination
global-unspecified
fluoride
removing
climate-environment
Subsidized electricity for agricultural tube wells has caused deep water tables across Northern India and Northern China to collapse, threatening domestic drinking supplies and long-term agricultural survival.
local-regional
asia
india
agricultural
caused
haven
reversed
severe
aquifer
depletion
unmetered
groundwater
extraction
climate-environment
global-unspecified
whether
philosophy-ethics
prevent
Rapid installation of solar and wind capacity in countries like Vietnam and India frequently faces grid curtailment because high-voltage transmission lines and grid-scale battery storage are insufficiently developed.
climate-environment
asia
india
developed
grid
haven
scalable
architectures
integrate
intermittent
renewable
power
aging
global-unspecified
solar
energy
local-regional
whether
Over a billion people in Asia still rely on wood, dung, and coal for daily cooking, causing severe indoor air pollution and chronic respiratory illnesses, primarily affecting women and young children.
climate-environment
asia
myanmar
air-pollution
cooking
haven
replaced
dangerous
traditional
biomass
fuels
remote
rural
households
global-unspecified
health-biology
remains
reducing
Bridges, ports, and power stations across island nations are built with conventional standards that fail during combined seismic events, storm surges, and landslides, cutting off entire island populations from emergency relief.
climate-environment
asia
philippines
haven
created
modular
infrastructure
capable
withstanding
compound
disaster
hazards
pacific-asian
island
remote
communities
economics-resources
philosophy-ethics
Indigenous peoples routinely lack formal land titles to ancestral territories, leading to forced displacement and loss of livelihoods when lands are designated for industrial agriculture, mining, or forestry concessions.
economics-resources
asia
laos
land
indigenous
haven
resolved
tenure
insecurity
tribal
minority
communities
southeast
climate-environment
global-unspecified
society-governance
climate
lack
Metropolises like Jakarta, Bangkok, and Manila are sinking faster than global sea levels are rising. Engineering solutions like sea walls only buy time while urban land-use policies fail to stop illegal extraction.
climate-environment
asia
indonesia
haven
halted
physical
land
subsidence
caused
groundwater
over-extraction
rapidly
growing
urban
global-unspecified
cities
whether
african
