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
Many products marketed as biodegradable still break down into tiny plastic particles that persist in the environment for years. A truly safe, fully compostable packaging material remains elusive at scale.
climate-environment
global-unspecified
packaging
fully
yet
build
materials
decompose
safely
leaving
microplastics
behind
whether
philosophy-ethics
mathematics-logic
haven
resolved
health-biology
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
In hot, dry climates, a significant portion of irrigation water is lost to evaporation before it ever reaches crop roots. Affordable ways to reduce this loss could ease water stress in agriculture-heavy dry regions.
climate-environment
global-unspecified
water
dry
lost
evaporation
regions
don
have
cheap
technology
capture
whether
philosophy-ethics
urban
determine
agreed
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Estimates of forest carbon storage vary significantly depending on the measurement method used, making it hard to track progress on climate goals tied to reforestation. More precise, consistent measurement remains an open challenge.
climate-environment
global-unspecified
carbon
accurately
measure
forests
really
storing
losing
real
time
measurement
whether
society-governance
philosophy-ethics
public
way
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Wetlands filter water and protect against flooding, but restoring one once it's been drained or built over is far harder than protecting it in the first place. Better restoration techniques remain limited and expensive.
climate-environment
global-unspecified
have
wetlands
been
don
reliable
way
restore
destroyed
development
filter
whether
philosophy-ethics
determine
resolved
agreed
prevent
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Manufacturing solar panels currently involves energy-intensive processes and some toxic materials, undercutting part of their environmental benefit. A cleaner production process would make solar energy's benefits more complete.
climate-environment
global-unspecified
solar
make
production
haven
found
way
panel
itself
fully
environmentally
mathematics-logic
whether
philosophy-ethics
local
open
United States, North America
Farms produce enormous amounts of leftover plant material that mostly gets burned or discarded rather than turned into usable energy. Affordable, small-scale conversion technology could turn this waste into a valuable resource.
climate-environment
north-america
united-states
technology
waste
energy
don
have
widely
available
convert
agricultural
clean
global-unspecified
whether
philosophy-ethics
way
determine
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Raising cattle and other livestock produces a significant share of global methane emissions, yet meat remains a major part of diets worldwide. A lower-emission farming method that doesn't require giving up meat entirely remains unsolved.
climate-environment
global-unspecified
livestock
emissions
haven
solved
farm
contributing
heavily
greenhouse
gas
meat
philosophy-ethics
whether
mathematics-logic
way
determine
resolved
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Plastic waste in the ocean is well documented, but pinpointing exact sources at a granular level remains difficult, making targeted prevention harder. Better tracking could focus cleanup and policy efforts where they matter most.
climate-environment
global-unspecified
ocean
plastic
yet
track
pollution
accurately
enough
know
exactly
coming
whether
philosophy-ethics
mathematics-logic
haven
waste
way
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Hiring tools, loan approval systems, and other automated decisions can unintentionally replicate historical biases present in their training data. Fully eliminating this bias while keeping systems useful remains unresolved.
technology-computing
global-unspecified
systems
bias
automated
haven
solved
prevent
algorithmic
creeping
decision
hiring
society-governance
whether
philosophy-ethics
mathematics-logic
resolved
climate-environment
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Despite decades of robotics research, folding laundry or loading a dishwasher remains far harder for robots than tasks like chess or driving. Everyday physical tasks turn out to be a much harder problem than expected.
climate-environment
global-unspecified
robots
build
affordable
capable
doing
basic
household
chores
reliably
harder
technology-computing
whether
yet
philosophy-ethics
mathematics-logic
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
3D printing has transformed prototyping, but printing functional circuits and electronics remains unreliable and limited. Solving this could make custom electronics production dramatically faster and cheaper.
climate-environment
global-unspecified
printing
electronics
yet
build
printers
capable
reliably
complex
not
just
whether
mathematics-logic
philosophy-ethics
technology-computing
haven
fully
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Scammers constantly find new ways around call-blocking systems, and phone networks still let large volumes of fraudulent calls through. A truly effective, adaptive solution remains elusive.
climate-environment
global-unspecified
calls
yet
stop
spam
scam
reaching
phones
despite
years
filtering
whether
philosophy-ethics
mathematics-logic
haven
resolved
technology-computing
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Some outer moons hide liquid oceans beneath thick ice, and possibly conditions that could support life. Getting real data from beneath that ice remains a major unsolved engineering and mission challenge.
climate-environment
global-unspecified
beneath
moons
don
fully
understand
lies
icy
surfaces
like
europa
philosophy-ethics
whether
resolved
mathematics-logic
determine
know
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Every kilogram of fuel launched from Earth adds enormous cost to a mission. Producing fuel on-site from ice or soil could make deep space missions dramatically more affordable.
science-space
global-unspecified
fuel
haven
found
cheap
way
produce
rocket
local
resources
moon
whether
philosophy-ethics
mathematics-logic
climate-environment
make
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
A severe solar storm could knock out satellites, GPS, and even electrical grids with little warning. Better prediction would give critical infrastructure time to prepare or shut down safely.
science-space
global-unspecified
solar
satellites
grids
reliably
predict
flares
disrupt
power
earth
severe
infrastructure
climate-environment
space
weather
protection
haven
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Earth's magnetic field protects us from solar radiation, but the dynamo process that generates it deep underground is still only partly understood. This matters for predicting how long that protection will last.
climate-environment
global-unspecified
magnetic
earth
don
fully
understand
fields
form
behave
inside
planets
whether
philosophy-ethics
science-space
know
mathematics-logic
haven
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Right now we can only detect exoplanets indirectly, through shadows and wobbles in starlight. Direct imaging would let us actually study alien landscapes and atmospheres instead of just inferring their existence.
climate-environment
global-unspecified
imaging
haven
built
telescope
capable
directly
surface
features
planets
outside
whether
mathematics-logic
resolved
way
philosophy-ethics
determine
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Decisions about climate change, resource use, and debt all require some answer to how much weight future, non-existent people deserve compared to those who exist now. Philosophers disagree sharply on this tradeoff.
climate-environment
global-unspecified
climate-change
future
people
haven
figured
out
weigh
interests
generations
against
needs
philosophy-ethics
whether
resolved
determine
know
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Methane traps far more heat than carbon dioxide in the short term, yet nearly all climate technology focuses on capturing carbon dioxide instead. A cheap way to actively remove atmospheric methane could meaningfully slow near-term warming.
climate-environment
global-unspecified
methane
way
remove
don
have
affordable
already
accumulated
atmosphere
carbon
philosophy-ethics
whether
determine
agreed
resolved
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Parts of the Greenland ice sheet may have already crossed tipping points where melting continues regardless of future emissions cuts. Understanding and potentially slowing this process remains one of climate science's most urgent unresolved challenges.
climate-environment
global-unspecified
greenland
ice
sheet
yet
stop
accelerating
melt
once
passes
certain
whether
philosophy-ethics
don
determine
way
resolved
