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
illegal fishing operations remains one of the most urgent challenges of our time. Systems currently in place are inadequate for the scale and complexity of the problem. A successful approach must work where resources are scarcest and demonstrate clear, measurable results. It should identify possible harms, respect local agency, and show how the solution can be maintained and expanded by the communities it is meant to serve.
illegal
fishing
operations
strengthening
global
local-regional
Many regions will simultaneously face elderly isolation, expensive housing, and young adults unable to form households. New models must combine privacy, care, affordability, and autonomy across generations. The solution must work with limited capital, intermittent services, and local maintenance capacity. The research opportunity is to define measurable success criteria, test the approach in realistic settings, identify failure modes, and create a pathway from prototype to accountable deployment.
social-civic-problems
europe
italy
housing
young
intergenerational
aging
populations
low-income
communities
must
regions
will
technology-computing
economics-resources
climate-environment
society-governance
systems
The problem of overfishing emptying the seas continues to affect hundreds of millions of people and undermines progress on multiple Sustainable Development Goals. Existing responses remain fragmented, under-resourced and poorly adapted to local contexts. A strong solution must operate effectively under severe constraints of skilled personnel, infrastructure, electricity and connectivity. It should define clear measurable outcomes, identify possible unintended harms, and demonstrate how the intervention can be sustained by local institutions long after initial funding ends.
overfishing
emptying
seas
strengthening
global
other
Future progress on human development and planetary health depends on solving ocean warming destroying fisheries. Conventional approaches have proven insufficient. The required intervention must integrate community knowledge, data and appropriate technology while remaining affordable, privacy-preserving and operable with minimal external support. Strong solutions will articulate measurable impact metrics, risk mitigation strategies, and a plan for sustained operation by local actors after the pilot phase.
ocean
warming
destroying
fisheries
strengthening
social-civic-problems
Addressing humans unknowingly consuming microplastics is critical for achieving the 2030 Agenda. Current efforts fall short in scale, speed and equity, leaving the most vulnerable behind. Any viable solution must function in low-resource settings with limited specialists, transport, laboratory capacity and broadband. Proposals should specify quantifiable biological, social or environmental outcomes, openly discuss potential risks, and present a realistic pathway for long-term maintenance and local ownership beyond short research pilots.
capacity
humans
unknowingly
consuming
microplastics
climate-environment
The problem of fish containing plastic particles continues to affect hundreds of millions of people and undermines progress on multiple Sustainable Development Goals. Existing responses remain fragmented, under-resourced and poorly adapted to local contexts. A strong solution must operate effectively under severe constraints of skilled personnel, infrastructure, electricity and connectivity. It should define clear measurable outcomes, identify possible unintended harms, and demonstrate how the intervention can be sustained by local institutions long after initial funding ends.
fish
containing
plastic
particles
implementing
other
Future progress on human development and planetary health depends on solving microplastics contaminating drinking water. Conventional approaches have proven insufficient. The required intervention must integrate community knowledge, data and appropriate technology while remaining affordable, privacy-preserving and operable with minimal external support. Strong solutions will articulate measurable impact metrics, risk mitigation strategies, and a plan for sustained operation by local actors after the pilot phase.
microplastics
contaminating
drinking
water
building
climate-environment
plastic straws and bags harming wildlife remains one of the most urgent challenges of our time. Systems currently in place are inadequate for the scale and complexity of the problem. A successful approach must work where resources are scarcest and demonstrate clear, measurable results. It should identify possible harms, respect local agency, and show how the solution can be maintained and expanded by the communities it is meant to serve.
plastic
straws
bags
harming
wildlife
climate-environment
single-use plastic bottles flooding landfills remains one of the most urgent challenges of our time. Systems currently in place are inadequate for the scale and complexity of the problem. A successful approach must work where resources are scarcest and demonstrate clear, measurable results. It should identify possible harms, respect local agency, and show how the solution can be maintained and expanded by the communities it is meant to serve.
successful
single
use
plastic
bottles
climate-environment
excessive plastic packaging remains one of the most urgent challenges of our time. Systems currently in place are inadequate for the scale and complexity of the problem. A successful approach must work where resources are scarcest and demonstrate clear, measurable results. It should identify possible harms, respect local agency, and show how the solution can be maintained and expanded by the communities it is meant to serve.
successful
excessive
plastic
packaging
scaling
climate-environment
Addressing consumer over-purchasing of food is critical for achieving the 2030 Agenda. Current efforts fall short in scale, speed and equity, leaving the most vulnerable behind. Any viable solution must function in low-resource settings with limited specialists, transport, laboratory capacity and broadband. Proposals should specify quantifiable biological, social or environmental outcomes, openly discuss potential risks, and present a realistic pathway for long-term maintenance and local ownership beyond short research pilots.
consumer
over
purchasing
food
2030
mathematics-logic
The problem of supermarket disposal of edible food continues to affect hundreds of millions of people and undermines progress on multiple Sustainable Development Goals. Existing responses remain fragmented, under-resourced and poorly adapted to local contexts. A strong solution must operate effectively under severe constraints of skilled personnel, infrastructure, electricity and connectivity. It should define clear measurable outcomes, identify possible unintended harms, and demonstrate how the intervention can be sustained by local institutions long after initial funding ends.
supermarket
disposal
edible
food
scaling
other
Countries facing population decline may seek to influence reproductive decisions. The challenge is supporting people who want children, respecting those who do not, and addressing housing, work, care, and gender conditions rather than using coercive targets. The solution must work with limited capital, intermittent services, and local maintenance capacity. The research opportunity is to define measurable success criteria, test the approach in realistic settings, identify failure modes, and create a pathway from prototype to accountable deployment.
society-governance
family
policy
declining
fertility
coercion
low-income
communities
work
countries
facing
technology-computing
economics-resources
climate-environment
systems
infrastructure
quantum
science-space
The problem of restaurant food waste continues to affect hundreds of millions of people and undermines progress on multiple Sustainable Development Goals. Existing responses remain fragmented, under-resourced and poorly adapted to local contexts. A strong solution must operate effectively under severe constraints of skilled personnel, infrastructure, electricity and connectivity. It should define clear measurable outcomes, identify possible unintended harms, and demonstrate how the intervention can be sustained by local institutions long after initial funding ends.
restaurant
food
waste
developing
scalable
other
massive quantities of food wasted in homes and stores remains one of the most urgent challenges of our time. Systems currently in place are inadequate for the scale and complexity of the problem. A successful approach must work where resources are scarcest and demonstrate clear, measurable results. It should identify possible harms, respect local agency, and show how the solution can be maintained and expanded by the communities it is meant to serve.
massive
quantities
food
wasted
homes
climate-environment
Faint visual residues of dreams that remain visible solely to the individual can cause confusion, distraction, or isolation. The problem is supporting healthy dream-waking transitions without residual perceptual interference that others cannot share or verify.
dream
waking
containing
afterimages
persist
health-biology
rapid spread of plant diseases remains one of the most urgent challenges of our time. Systems currently in place are inadequate for the scale and complexity of the problem. A successful approach must work where resources are scarcest and demonstrate clear, measurable results. It should identify possible harms, respect local agency, and show how the solution can be maintained and expanded by the communities it is meant to serve.
rapid
spread
plant
diseases
building
health-biology
Vegetation that bioluminesces beneath people carrying financial obligations creates public signalling of private economic status. The challenge is keeping urban biology free of involuntary debt disclosure.
debt
preventing
sidewalk
moss
glowing
economics-resources
The problem of locust swarms devastating crops continues to affect hundreds of millions of people and undermines progress on multiple Sustainable Development Goals. Existing responses remain fragmented, under-resourced and poorly adapted to local contexts. A strong solution must operate effectively under severe constraints of skilled personnel, infrastructure, electricity and connectivity. It should define clear measurable outcomes, identify possible unintended harms, and demonstrate how the intervention can be sustained by local institutions long after initial funding ends.
sustainable
locust
swarms
devastating
crops
other
Works that visibly deteriorate according to how often they are ignored accelerate cultural loss. The problem is supporting art maintenance without turning public attention into a survival requirement for cultural objects.
public
art
preserving
real
time
other
