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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
While advanced manufacturing is concentrated in East Asia, neighboring developing economies remain trapped in low-margin raw material extraction and low-skilled assembly without technology transfer or capacity building.
economics-resources
asia
thailand
supply-chain
developing
economies
haven
built
equitable
semiconductor
supply
chains
distribute
technical
access
global-unspecified
asian
manufacturing
Indigenous peoples routinely lack formal land titles to ancestral territories, leading to forced displacement and loss of livelihoods when lands are designated for industrial agriculture, mining, or forestry concessions.
economics-resources
asia
laos
land
indigenous
haven
resolved
tenure
insecurity
tribal
minority
communities
southeast
climate-environment
global-unspecified
society-governance
climate
lack
While urban centers rapidly transition to cashless, tech-driven economies, rural populations with poor smartphone access and low digital literacy are increasingly excluded from formal banking, credit, and investment opportunities.
economics-resources
asia
cambodia
access
digital
rural
haven
bridged
widening
wealth
gap
driven
unequal
technology-computing
african
global-unspecified
remains
social-civic-problems
Millions of informal recyclers form the backbone of Asian urban waste processing, yet they work under dangerous, toxic conditions without official recognition, equipment, or social safety protections.
local-regional
asia
india
waste-management
waste
informal
haven
integrated
pickers
modern
municipal
solid
management
systems
climate-environment
society-governance
economics-resources
global-unspecified
Despite international treaties, millions of metric tons of toxic e-waste are illegally imported into East and Southeast Asian informal processing hubs, contaminating local ecosystems and harming workers' health.
climate-environment
asia
malaysia
asian
haven
curbed
illegal
transboundary
shipment
electronic
waste
developing
nations
global-unspecified
economics-resources
african
workers
informal
Fast-moving consumer goods companies rely heavily on multi-layer plastic sachets to sell small product quantities affordably, generating unrecyclable plastic litter across waterways and marine systems.
economics-resources
asia
philippines
plastic
consumer
goods
haven
eliminated
single-use
packaging
distribution
networks
lower-income
climate-environment
global-unspecified
systems
waste
food
Global warming is causing Himalayan glaciers to melt rapidly, expanding high-altitude glacial lakes. When natural dams breach, catastrophic floods destroy downstream mountain settlements without adequate real-time warning systems.
climate-environment
asia
nepal
warning
systems
glacial
floods
haven
developed
scalable
early
lake
outburst
society-governance
real
time
technology-computing
economics-resources
Overfishing and destructive fishing practices like dynamite and cyanide fishing are collapsing fish stocks and destroying delicate coral reef ecosystems across disputed maritime territories without effective joint enforcement.
economics-resources
asia
china
fishing
haven
successfully
eliminated
illegal
unreported
unregulated
iuu
international
waters
coastal
communities
global-unspecified
near
science-space
Unsustainable grazing and land degradation in the Gobi and Taklamakan deserts trigger toxic dust storms that sweep thousands of miles, destroying topsoil, damaging infrastructure, and worsening air quality across Northeast Asia.
climate-environment
asia
united-states
dust
storms
haven
halted
sand
sds
spreading
expanding
desertification
global-unspecified
african
access
economics-resources
land
parts
In Mongolia and Central Asia, winter disaster phenomena ('dzuds') freeze pasturelands, killing millions of livestock and forcing nomadic herders into impoverished urban shantytowns without transition support.
climate-environment
asia
mongolia
nomadic
livestock
haven
modernized
traditional
pastoral
management
survive
severe
extreme
urban
health-biology
global-unspecified
established
economics-resources
open
United Arab Emirates, Asia
Thermal and reverse-osmosis desalination across West Asian coastal regions consumes immense fossil fuel resources and discharges hypersaline brine back into marine ecosystems, harming coral reefs.
climate-environment
asia
united-arab-emirates
renewable-energy
desalination
west
asian
haven
developed
affordable
tech
powered
renewable
energy
brine
ocean
governance
global-unspecified
Rising sea levels and severe droughts force rural families to migrate into overcrowded urban slums where municipal infrastructure cannot absorb them, leading to social friction and extreme vulnerability.
climate-environment
asia
bangladesh
urban
haven
created
effective
reintegration
pathways
millions
internal
climate
refugees
cities
society-governance
economics-resources
change
african
Archipelagic island communities rely almost exclusively on imported, highly polluting diesel generators for power, making electricity prices exorbitantly high and vulnerable to supply chain disruptions.
local-regional
asia
maldives
renewable-energy
supply-chain
island
haven
built
decentralized
off-grid
renewable
energy
grids
remote
provinces
communities
economics-resources
climate-environment
High-value illicit wildlife products continue to flow through regional transportation hubs, driven by organized crime networks and persistent market demand for traditional medicine and exotic pets.
economics-resources
asia
vietnam
wildlife
hubs
haven
curbed
illegal
trade
routes
operating
transshipment
southeast
trafficking
global-unspecified
society-governance
african
africa
Without official birth certificates, millions of children across border regions are unable to access public healthcare, attend public schools, or obtain legal identification later in life.
health-biology
asia
myanmar
public-health
birth
haven
achieved
full
universal
registration
rural
stateless
populations
public
society-governance
global-unspecified
access
economics-resources
Unplanned urban concrete expansion combined with rising temperatures has created extreme urban heat pockets, severely threatening elderly and low-income outdoor workers without public cooling centers.
economics-resources
asia
pakistan
urban
extreme
heat
haven
protected
rapid
urbanization
zones
island
uhi
climate-environment
cities
systems
global-unspecified
water
Digital platforms and assistive devices remain cost-prohibitive or unadapted for regional languages, excluding millions of persons with disabilities from the growing digital workforce.
technology-computing
asia
philippines
disabilities
haven
developed
inclusive
tech
infrastructure
workers
developing
markets
digital
global-unspecified
african
remains
economics-resources
public
Major textile production centers generate vast amounts of fabric offcuts and synthetic water pollutants that end up in landfills or local ecosystems rather than being recycled into new textiles.
economics-resources
asia
bangladesh
textile
haven
scaled
circular
economy
models
garment
manufacturing
waste
major
climate-environment
global-unspecified
whether
water
african
Multiple competing microfinance institutions operating in rural districts frequently over-indebt low-income borrowers, forcing families to liquidate essential assets or migrate to repay interest rather than building sustainable livelihoods.
economics-resources
asia
india
rural
haven
eliminated
microfinance-induced
predatory
debt
traps
among
women
south
access
public
african
remains
urban
As secondary cities across Asia rapidly commercialize, low-income slum residents without formal title deeds face forcible evictions without fair compensation or viable alternative housing.
social-civic-problems
asia
cambodia
secondary
cities
haven
structured
legal
protections
prevent
urban
land
grabs
informal
economics-resources
african
global-unspecified
settlements
