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
Weak vehicle emission standards and aging car imports contribute to poor urban air quality, raising respiratory illness rates. Low-cost air-quality sensor networks could inform targeted policy responses.
climate-environment
africa
air-pollution
air
vehicle
pollution
african
cities
worsening
due
emissions
industrial
activity
global-unspecified
urban
quality
asia
remains
Weak civil registration and statistical systems make policy planning difficult, as governments often lack reliable population and economic data. Mobile-based census and survey tools could modernize data collection affordably.
society-governance
africa
data
economic
basic
demographics
activity
remains
incomplete
continent
weak
civil
systems
global-unspecified
technology-computing
whether
philosophy-ethics
african
Lack of accessible infrastructure and negative social attitudes exclude many people with disabilities from education and employment. Affordable assistive-technology startups and inclusive-design mandates could improve access.
social-civic-problems
africa
disability
inclusion
african
workplaces
schools
remains
extremely
limited
lack
accessible
global-unspecified
access
whether
affordable
philosophy-ethics
low
Economies are not creating enough formal jobs to absorb the roughly 10-12 million youth entering the labor market annually. Skills-matching platforms and support for youth-led micro-enterprises are urgently needed.
economics-resources
africa
youth
unemployment
remains
critically
high
despite
young
growing
population
global-unspecified
low
asia
rural
Non-tariff barriers, poor infrastructure, and weak logistics keep most African trade oriented toward external partners rather than neighbors. Digital trade-facilitation platforms could help small businesses navigate cross-border commerce.
technology-computing
africa
trade
intra-african
remains
far
below
its
potential
despite
afcfta
agreement
digital
african
global-unspecified
infrastructure
economics-resources
access
Most remittance money goes to consumption rather than business or infrastructure investment, missing a huge development opportunity. Diaspora investment bonds and startup co-investment platforms could redirect some of these flows productively.
economics-resources
africa
investment
diaspora
remittances
though
large
rarely
channeled
productive
local
remittance
infrastructure
african
global-unspecified
technology-computing
autonomous
remains
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Transporting fuel and life support reagents from Earth is economically non-viable for sustained settlements. We need robust robotic systems capable of excavating, purifying, and processing icy regolith under extreme thermal conditions.
economics-resources
global-unspecified
in-situ
extraction
refining
water
ice
mars
moon
remains
unproven
scale
systems
society-governance
climate-environment
under
ensuring
real
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Identifying traces of methane, ozone, and water vapor simultaneously on rocky extrasolar planets remains at the limit of current telescopes. Space-based starshades and high-contrast coronagraphs are needed to resolve atmospheric details.
science-space
global-unspecified
lack
direct
spectroscopic
confirmation
biosignature
gases
earth-sized
exoplanet
atmospheres
identifying
technology-computing
know
haven
climate-environment
structure
internal
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
FRBs unleash as much energy in milliseconds as the Sun emits in days, yet their origins—whether magnetars or exotic energetic events—are unconfirmed. Resolving this will yield new insights into extreme astrophysics and cosmic plasma.
science-space
global-unspecified
frbs
exact
physical
trigger
mechanism
fast
radio
bursts
remains
unsolved
mathematics-logic
whether
philosophy-ethics
know
don
resolved
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Landers currently depend on pre-mapped terrain, which leaves them vulnerable to boulders, unexpected slopes, and dust plumes during touchdown. Ultra-fast optical-LiDAR terrain-relative navigation is needed for safe pinpoint landing.
science-space
global-unspecified
landing
terrain
autonomous
real-time
rugged
unstructured
planetary
remains
high
risk
navigation
when
deep
space
optical
rovers
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
The solar wind strips away atmospheres from unmagnetized planets like Mars, but how it reaches supersonic speeds is unclear. Close-orbit solar probes and plasma simulations are needed to resolve acceleration dynamics.
climate-environment
global-unspecified
solar
wind
plasma
mechanism
accelerates
millions
remains
unverified
strips
away
whether
haven
philosophy-ethics
science-space
small
energy
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Capturing dead satellites or space debris requires catching uncontrolled objects without causing collision fragments. Advanced computer vision, robotic capture arms, and net-based soft capture systems are required.
science-space
global-unspecified
space
objects
autonomous
docking
between
non-cooperative
tumbling
remains
high
risk
systems
society-governance
designs
governance
whether
philosophy-ethics
While calorie intake has stabilized in many Asian urban centers, access to nutrient-dense fresh food remains unaffordable for low-income residents, resulting in persistent stunting, anemia, and hidden hunger among young children.
health-biology
asia
pakistan
among
urban
haven
eliminated
micronutrient
malnutrition
slum
populations
rapidly
expanding
global-unspecified
african
economics-resources
whether
access
Deep social stigma, severe shortages of qualified psychiatric professionals, and centralized medical infrastructure leave hundreds of millions of rural residents without access to mental health diagnosis or intervention.
health-biology
asia
indonesia
mental-health
mental
rural
haven
established
adequate
healthcare
frameworks
tailored
low-resource
asian
access
health
remains
global-unspecified
Students in remote, mountainous topographies like Bhutan, Central Asia, and northern Pakistan lack stable internet connectivity and localized digital curricula, leaving them disadvantaged in higher education and global digital workforce participation.
social-civic-problems
asia
pakistan
digital
education
haven
closed
learning
divide
between
rural
mountain
communities
technology-computing
access
global-unspecified
african
remains
Despite rising educational attainment among young women, regional female workforce participation remains among the lowest globally due to unpaid care burdens, safety concerns, and entrenched patriarchal property rights.
social-civic-problems
asia
india
female
participation
haven
dismantled
socio-legal
barriers
restrict
labor
force
south
economics-resources
global-unspecified
remains
society-governance
care
Online abuse, non-consensual image sharing, and cyber-stalking targeting women and girls are surging across Southeast Asia, outpacing existing legal definitions and digital safety enforcement mechanisms.
technology-computing
asia
malaysia
digital
haven
eradicated
technology-facilitated
gender-based
violence
harassment
platforms
online
abuse
african
global-unspecified
society-governance
remains
social-civic-problems
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
While urban centers rapidly transition to cashless, tech-driven economies, rural populations with poor smartphone access and low digital literacy are increasingly excluded from formal banking, credit, and investment opportunities.
economics-resources
asia
cambodia
access
digital
rural
haven
bridged
widening
wealth
gap
driven
unequal
technology-computing
african
global-unspecified
remains
social-civic-problems
Divergent definitions of 'sustainable investments' across regional stock exchanges allow carbon-intensive industries to access green bond financing without verified emissions reductions.
climate-environment
asia
singapore
green
haven
harmonized
taxonomy
standards
asian
capital
markets
eliminate
greenwashing
african
remains
africa
global-unspecified
education