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
As some regions become less livable due to heat, drought, or flooding, governments often lack a clear, proactive plan for how internal migration should be managed. This leaves affected communities dealing with sudden, poorly supported relocation.
climate-environment
global-unspecified
migration
government
responses
climate
own
borders
remain
largely
unplanned
reactive
under
society-governance
pressure
african
relocation
systems
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Once a law passes, fixing unforeseen negative consequences can take years of political negotiation, even when the harm is clear and widely acknowledged. Faster correction mechanisms remain rare in most legal systems.
society-governance
global-unspecified
systems
clear
harm
governance
have
fast
process
correcting
laws
turn
technology-computing
whether
philosophy-ethics
climate-environment
public
across
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Annual budget cycles can force short-term thinking on issues, like infrastructure or education, that really require planning over decades. Building longer-term budgeting tools into government processes remains rare.
society-governance
global-unspecified
government
budgeting
planning
countries
happens
ways
make
long-term
nearly
impossible
african
whether
philosophy-ethics
cities
systems
climate-environment
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Zoning, housing, and infrastructure decisions are sometimes controlled by higher levels of government that move far slower than the pace of local growth. This mismatch leaves cities struggling to manage problems they can see coming but can't legally address.
society-governance
global-unspecified
manage
growth
city
governments
fast-growing
regions
often
lack
legal
authority
african
cities
urban
climate-environment
whether
infrastructure
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Even where indigenous communities have lived on land for centuries, national laws sometimes fail to formally recognize their ownership or governance rights over it. This leaves them vulnerable to displacement by governments or corporations.
society-governance
global-unspecified
indigenous
communities
land
rights
national
governance
often
lack
formal
legal
systems
economics-resources
philosophy-ethics
climate-environment
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Fewer people are voting even in countries with a long history of democratic participation, suggesting something deeper than simple apathy is at play. Understanding and reversing this trend remains an open challenge for democratic governance.
society-governance
global-unspecified
voter
turnout
keeps
declining
established
democracies
despite
decades
civic
education
whether
philosophy-ethics
democratic
climate-environment
resolved
mathematics-logic
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
People who report corruption or abuse of power frequently lose their jobs, face legal retaliation, or worse, while the officials they exposed face little consequence. This discourages future whistleblowers from coming forward at all.
society-governance
global-unspecified
face
whistleblowers
expose
government
wrongdoing
often
punishment
wrongdoers
themselves
people
philosophy-ethics
whether
haven
climate-environment
african
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Many global bodies depend heavily on voluntary contributions rather than fixed dues, letting big funders push their own priorities ahead of the institution's broader mission. This undermines the independence these institutions are supposed to have.
society-governance
global-unspecified
priorities
institutions
wealthy
donor
countries
quietly
steer
international
targeted
funding
conflict
public
post
whether
philosophy-ethics
climate-environment
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Treaties on climate, trade, and human rights rely on voluntary compliance, and countries that break them rarely face meaningful consequences. This makes international law more of a suggestion than a binding rule.
climate-environment
global-unspecified
international
agreements
have
real
way
force
country
keep
its
promises
whether
philosophy-ethics
determine
don
resolved
agreed
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
This means a single permanent member can stop global action on war, genocide, or humanitarian crises regardless of what the rest of the world wants. Reforming this without those same countries blocking the reform remains unresolved.
climate-environment
global-unspecified
countries
security
council
gives
five
veto
block
almost
anything
means
whether
philosophy-ethics
haven
resolved
determine
mathematics-logic
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Developing countries often pay significantly higher interest rates for clean energy projects than wealthier nations, slowing their transition away from fossil fuels. Fairer, more accessible financing remains a major unresolved barrier.
climate-environment
global-unspecified
renewable-energy
energy
financing
accessible
countries
interest
rates
yet
make
renewable
poorer
whether
philosophy-ethics
haven
mathematics-logic
resolved
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
High childcare costs push many parents, disproportionately mothers, out of the workforce entirely or into reduced hours. Making quality childcare broadly affordable remains an unresolved economic and social policy gap.
society-governance
global-unspecified
childcare
affordable
parents
workforce
yet
make
accessible
enough
support
working
whether
philosophy-ethics
haven
mathematics-logic
technology-computing
climate-environment
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Rules protecting children online vary significantly by country and platform, leaving major gaps that put young users at risk. A more consistent global standard remains politically and technically difficult to establish.
climate-environment
global-unspecified
consistent
standard
protecting
children
online
don
have
international
different
platforms
philosophy-ethics
whether
resolved
determine
way
agreed
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Rates of some cancers are rising among people under fifty for reasons researchers don't yet fully understand, spanning diet, environment, and other unknown factors. Identifying the cause is a necessary first step toward prevention.
climate-environment
global-unspecified
yet
fully
cancers
explain
certain
becoming
common
younger
adults
rates
whether
philosophy-ethics
mathematics-logic
health-biology
haven
resolved
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Air pollution contributes to respiratory and cardiovascular disease in millions of people living in polluted urban areas, and treatment only addresses symptoms, not exposure. Reducing the exposure itself remains the harder, unresolved half of the problem.
health-biology
global-unspecified
air-pollution
air
pollution
haven
solved
prevent
long-term
health
effects
densely
populated
whether
philosophy-ethics
climate-environment
mathematics-logic
way
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Fertilizer runoff from farms feeds harmful algae blooms in nearby lakes, damaging drinking water and local ecosystems. Preventing this at the source remains cheaper than treating it after the fact, but adoption is still limited.
climate-environment
global-unspecified
lakes
nearby
haven
found
affordable
way
protect
freshwater
pollution
caused
whether
philosophy-ethics
mathematics-logic
resolved
prevent
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Mining for the metals used in batteries and electronics often destroys forests, rivers, and habitats that took centuries to form. Balancing resource needs with ecosystem protection remains a persistent unresolved tension.
climate-environment
global-unspecified
mining
yet
stop
operations
permanently
damaging
fragile
ecosystems
resource-rich
regions
whether
philosophy-ethics
way
mathematics-logic
prevent
haven
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Microplastics have been found nearly everywhere scientists have looked, including soil and tap water, yet no affordable removal method exists at scale. This leaves an existing, growing contamination problem largely unaddressed.
climate-environment
global-unspecified
have
microplastics
soil
water
don
cost-effective
way
remove
already
present
whether
philosophy-ethics
determine
resolved
agreed
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Most food waste in large cities still ends up in landfills producing methane, despite composting being a relatively simple, well-understood solution. Scaling this to city-wide adoption remains logistically unresolved in most places.
climate-environment
global-unspecified
composting
waste
large
cities
haven
solved
make
organic
recycling
standard
whether
philosophy-ethics
mathematics-logic
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
International agreements to reduce deforestation often rely on inconsistent or delayed data, making enforcement difficult. Better real-time tracking could hold countries and companies accountable for logging commitments.
climate-environment
global-unspecified
deforestation
agreements
yet
track
tree
cover
loss
accurately
enough
enforce
whether
philosophy-ethics
society-governance
determine
technology-computing
resolved
