World Solve

Because clean air and water aren't priced like other resources, they're often used or polluted without any real cost attached until the damage is severe. A better way to account for their true value could change how we protect them.

Many developing countries need roads, power, and water systems but often can only afford them by taking on debt that becomes difficult to repay. Finding a fairer way to fund this development remains unresolved.

Wars, droughts, and shipping disruptions can send food prices soaring almost overnight, hitting poorer households hardest. A more resilient global food system could soften these shocks before they cause real hunger.

Millions of people now earn a living through app-based gig work without the healthcare, sick leave, or retirement benefits traditional jobs offer. Extending fair protections to this growing workforce remains largely unresolved.

In many countries, the cost of a degree has risen far faster than wages, leaving graduates with debt that can take decades to repay. Making education both accessible and affordable remains an unresolved trade-off.

Money hidden in tax havens deprives governments of revenue that could fund schools, hospitals, and infrastructure. Closing these loopholes requires international cooperation that has so far been difficult to achieve.

The metals inside batteries and electronics are difficult and expensive to recover once a device is thrown away, so most end up in landfills instead of being reused. Cheaper recycling would ease both supply shortages and environmental damage.

Companies often move production to wherever labor is cheapest, making it hard for any single country to guarantee fair wages without losing jobs to competitors elsewhere. A coordinated approach across countries remains unresolved.

Fewer working-age people are supporting more retirees in many countries, straining pension systems built for a different population balance. Without reform, current retirement systems risk running out of money for future retirees.

Wages in many cities haven't kept pace with housing costs, pushing homeownership and even renting out of reach for a growing share of workers. This is now a shared crisis across cities on almost every continent.

Most democratic input happens only at the ballot box, leaving years between elections where citizens have little formal say in major decisions. Better tools for ongoing public input could make governance more responsive.

Independent journalism is being restricted or shut down in many parts of the world, cutting off citizens from reliable information about their own governments. Protecting press freedom remains an unresolved struggle in much of the world.

Large multinational companies can shift profits between countries to minimize taxes, leaving many nations without a fair share of revenue from businesses operating within their borders. A truly fair global tax system remains unresolved.

Rising demand keeps pushing housing costs higher in growing cities, pricing out the very workers those cities depend on. Making urban growth compatible with affordability remains an unresolved policy challenge nearly everywhere.

Many prison systems focus on punishment over rehabilitation, and high reoffending rates suggest this approach often fails at its stated goal. A system genuinely built around rehabilitation could reduce crime and human cost.

Anti-corruption agencies themselves can become corrupted, and oversight bodies often lack real power to enforce accountability. Breaking this cycle requires structural solutions, not just stricter laws on paper.

AI systems built in one country are used worldwide, but there's no shared international rulebook governing how they should behave. Without cooperation, regulation ends up fragmented and easy to bypass.

Once elected, officials often face little real consequence for broken promises until the next vote, years later. Stronger accountability tools could make representation meaningful beyond election day.

False information often reaches millions of people before any correction catches up, and by then the damage to public understanding is already done. Fixing this gap is critical to informed public debate.

Maternal death rates in some parts of the world remain drastically higher than in wealthy nations, despite childbirth being a universal human experience. Making safe childbirth truly global remains an unmet basic need.