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
Residences that rearrange themselves overnight according to algorithmic mood forecasts may increase comfort for some while creating disorientation, loss of control, or surveillance concerns for others. The challenge is balancing adaptive environments with resident agency, privacy, and predictability.
rearrange
governing
homes
autonomously
furniture
technology-computing
housing that remains unaffordable for ordinary families 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.
remains
housing
unaffordable
ordinary
families
social-civic-problems
If facial appearance can be altered continuously through filters or implants, both social recognition and security systems lose stable anchors. The problem is maintaining trustworthy identity verification and human connection without requiring permanent biometric locks that themselves create new risks.
identity
recognition
filters
preserving
reliable
technology-computing
Modern economies rely on precise timing for finance, telecom, energy, and navigation. Future systems need resilient alternatives to single-source satellite timing during cyberattacks, solar storms, and geopolitical crises. 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.
science-space
asia
india
timing
secure
space-based
terrestrial
disruptions
low-income
communities
modern
economies
rely
technology-computing
economics-resources
climate-environment
society-governance
systems
Climate events, cyberattacks, and conflict can demand action faster than standard legislative processes allow. The open problem is creating emergency authorities with strong checks, expiration rules, and public review. This becomes particularly difficult in informal settlements, because public institutions must remain fair, resilient, and accountable while adapting to new risks.
climate-environment
africa
nigeria
institutions
informal
settlements
designing
democratic
high-speed
crisis
response
public
climate
society-governance
governance
high
Future progress on human development and planetary health depends on solving severe overcrowding in major cities. 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.
approaches
severe
overcrowding
major
cities
social-civic-problems
Metering park entry according to measured oxygen use could exclude people with higher metabolic needs or certain health conditions. The challenge is creating inclusive green-space access rules that still manage environmental impact without turning basic recreation into a health-based barrier.
access
entry
oxygen
designing
fair
science-space
Addressing unsafe and hazardous working conditions 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.
unsafe
hazardous
working
conditions
2030
mathematics-logic
When companion animals gain the ability to express complex preferences and demands, existing ownership models break down. The problem is defining rights, responsibilities, and welfare standards that protect both animals and humans without creating unmanageable legal or social burdens.
legal
establishing
ethical
frameworks
pets
philosophy-ethics
The problem of mass unemployment and underemployment 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.
mass
unemployment
underemployment
scaling
successful
other
If sleep becomes a tradable commodity sold in discrete blocks, the poorest citizens may be forced into permanent light or irregular cycles. The challenge is designing access systems that treat restorative sleep as a basic need rather than a market good, while still allowing voluntary exchange for those who choose it.
sleep
blocks
addressing
inequality
when
economics-resources
Future progress on human development and planetary health depends on solving persistent gender pay gap for equal work. 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.
proven
strategies
persistent
gender
pay
social-civic-problems
Rapid language change driven by neural interfaces may make ordinary conversation between grandparents and grandchildren impossible without permanent translation layers. The problem is preserving mutual understanding and cultural continuity without forcing everyone onto the same implant standard or erasing linguistic diversity.
language
neural
maintaining
intergenerational
communication
health-biology
States and institutions may need registries of deployed AI models, their data sources, risk levels, and accountability owners. The challenge is building disclosure rules that support safety without exposing legitimate security or privacy risks. This becomes particularly difficult during fiscal austerity, because public institutions must remain fair, resilient, and accountable while adapting to new risks.
society-governance
asia
bangladesh
registries
during
fiscal
austerity
governance
public-interest
model
institutions
risks
states
public
climate-environment
systems
across
The problem of unequal treatment of boys and girls in schools and homes 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.
unequal
treatment
boys
girls
schools
other
When local weather can be bought in advance, wealthier areas may secure preferred conditions while poorer ones experience residual or adverse patterns. The challenge is creating equitable allocation mechanisms for atmospheric resources that do not deepen existing social divides or disrupt larger climate systems.
climate
weather
preventing
micro
inequality
climate-environment
Future progress on human development and planetary health depends on solving systematic exclusion of girls from education. 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.
systematic
exclusion
girls
education
strengthening
social-civic-problems
Objects may gain short-lived conversational personalities that interact with and sometimes argue with their owners. The problem is preventing psychological dependence, harassment by objects, or commercial manipulation while still allowing useful interactive features. Solutions should include clear off-switches, personality boundaries, and accountability for manufacturers.
objects
personalities
regulating
temporary
assigned
mathematics-logic
Future progress on human development and planetary health depends on solving schools located too far for many children to reach. 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.
schools
located
too
far
many
social-civic-problems
Future systems may allow designated family members to rewind and revise recorded life timelines after a person dies. The challenge is balancing grief, legacy, and historical accuracy while preventing revisionism that harms living people or erases inconvenient truths. Solutions must define clear consent rules, audit trails, and limits on alteration.
governing
posthumous
personal
timeline
editing
health-biology
