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
High electricity costs lead small-scale leather and textile processors to bypass treatment systems, dumping heavy metals directly into river basins.
climate-environment
asia
pakistan
treatment
systems
haven
developed
energy-efficient
industrial
wastewater
small
medium-scale
dyeing
society-governance
technology-computing
global-unspecified
mathematics-logic
philosophy-ethics
Rapid un-sewered urban expansion relies on pit latrines and unlined septic systems, which seep pathogens directly into the urban water table.
climate-environment
asia
indonesia
urban
unlined
septic
haven
halted
fecal
sludge
contamination
shallow
aquifers
systems
global-unspecified
african
water
cities
Up to 30% of rural water hand-pumps and piped schemes break within two years of installation and remain broken due to missing spare parts supply chains.
economics-resources
asia
cambodia
supply-chain
rural
water
haven
built
real-time
digital
monitoring
systems
community
taps
global-unspecified
climate-environment
real
time
Rising sea levels submerge shallow freshwater lenses beneath coral atolls, forcing island communities to rely entirely on variable rainwater harvesting.
climate-environment
asia
maldives
freshwater
coral
haven
secured
long-term
availability
low-lying
atoll
nations
facing
protecting
aquifers
saltwater
intrusion
bleaching
Standard lithium-ion battery arrays suffer accelerated degradation in tropical ambient temperatures, making grid-scale battery storage prohibitively expensive.
climate-environment
asia
india
storage
tropical
haven
scaled
long-duration
energy
ldes
technologies
optimized
high-temperature
global-unspecified
solar
whether
long
society-governance
Aging low-voltage power lines lose up to 25% of generated electricity during transmission across vast rural distances before reaching households.
local-regional
asia
kyrgyzstan
transmission
rural
lines
haven
eliminated
technical
losses
cross-country
distribution
aging
access
grid
african
urban
remains
Inland freshwater fishermen lose significant portions of their daily catch due to lack of localized ice plants and affordable off-grid refrigeration.
climate-environment
asia
laos
affordable
inland
haven
developed
solar-powered
cold
storage
solutions
smallholder
fisheries
scalable
global-unspecified
whether
society-governance
philosophy-ethics
Workers dismantling ocean vessels in beach yards face exposure to asbestos, heavy metals, and explosions without adequate protective gear or automated machinery.
health-biology
asia
bangladesh
haven
mitigated
systemic
occupational
risks
faced
shipbreaking
laborers
operating
intertidal
informal
workers
heat
protecting
extreme
Rapid population growth outpaces formal job creation, forcing university graduates into low-productivity informal sector roles or long-term underemployment.
economics-resources
asia
philippines
formal
haven
created
pathways
economic
integration
millions
young
people
entering
informal
global-unspecified
settlements
youth
africa
Generational debt traps bind entire families to uncompensated labor in brick kilns and agriculture, enforced by informal moneylenders outside state oversight.
local-regional
asia
pakistan
labor
brick
kilns
haven
stopped
forced
debt-bonded
regional
rural
agricultural
society-governance
governance
economics-resources
systems
informal
Major commercial shipping ports across Southeast Asia lack elevated breakwaters and storm protection, risking catastrophic supply chain disruptions.
climate-environment
asia
vietnam
supply-chain
storm
haven
built
climate-hardened
port
infrastructure
resilient
1-in-100-year
surge
projections
global-unspecified
whether
philosophy-ethics
economics-resources
Developing Asian power grids are rapidly modernizing with digital telemetry but lack unified cybersecurity standards, exposing them to prolonged cyber grid shutdowns.
technology-computing
asia
malaysia
cybersecurity
power
grid
haven
established
regional
defenses
protect
critical
infrastructure
global-unspecified
whether
climate-environment
african
local-regional
Conventional Portland cement production accounts for major industrial carbon emissions in Asia; green cement alternatives lack standardized building code certifications.
climate-environment
asia
china
carbon-emissions
cement
alternatives
haven
created
low-carbon
scalable
massive
infrastructure
expansion
conventional
affordable
carbon
global-unspecified
reducing
Financial intermediaries charge high transfer fees on small money transfers sent home by low-income migrant workers, stripping billions from vulnerable households.
economics-resources
asia
philippines
fees
migrant
workers
haven
eliminated
predatory
cross-border
remittance
charged
overseas
technology-computing
global-unspecified
informal
health-biology
countries
Dominant national languages in education and digital media are rapidly eradicating indigenous oral traditions and native languages across remote regions.
social-civic-problems
asia
indonesia
languages
indigenous
media
haven
protected
minority
extinction
caused
centralized
schooling
global-unspecified
whether
philosophy-ethics
technology-computing
african
Sidewalks, public buses, and government buildings across Asian cities overwhelmingly lack ramps, tactile paving, and elevators, excluding disabled citizens from public life.
society-governance
asia
thailand
public
haven
created
universally
accessible
infrastructure
persons
physical
mobility
impairments
global-unspecified
whether
systems
institutions
philosophy-ethics
Encroachment on natural urban drainage lakes leaves rainwater with nowhere to sink, causing severe flash flooding that shuts down entire economic centers.
economics-resources
asia
india
flash
urban
flooding
natural
haven
solved
catastrophic
caused
total
loss
climate-environment
global-unspecified
cities
systems
african
Low-income urban districts across seismic fault lines consist of unreinforced concrete block buildings highly susceptible to collapse during major earthquakes.
local-regional
asia
nepal
buildings
earthquakes
haven
retrofitted
millions
vulnerable
non-engineered
masonry
against
high-magnitude
urban
climate-environment
architectural
innovations
high
Municipal transport authorities lack upfront capital to purchase electric buses and build high-voltage charging depots, prolonging diesel air pollution.
climate-environment
asia
sri-lanka
air-pollution
electric
haven
transition-funded
fossil
fuel
bus
fleets
zero-emission
transit
networks
global-unspecified
whether
philosophy-ethics
mathematics-logic
Narrow alleys prevent traditional fire trucks from entering slum communities, where electrical short circuits frequently ignite massive, uncontrolled fires.
economics-resources
asia
bangladesh
informal
fire
haven
secured
safety
infrastructure
densely
packed
urban
settlements
society-governance
systems
technology-computing
african
global-unspecified
