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
The absence of robust, context-adapted solutions for low-cost genomic surveillance platforms for endemic and emerging pathogens creates cascading risks across interconnected human and natural systems. Key missing elements include durable performance, low lifetime cost, and governance arrangements capable of sustaining impact beyond pilot stages.
society-governance
south-america
peru
low-cost
genomic
surveillance
platforms
endemic
emerging
pathogens
deployable
technologies
absence
solutions
systems
climate-environment
enabling
robust
The absence of robust, context-adapted solutions for solutions for managing the health and environmental impacts of expanding mining for energy transition minerals creates cascading risks across interconnected human and natural systems. Key missing elements include durable performance, low lifetime cost, and governance arrangements capable of sustaining impact beyond pilot stages.
society-governance
asia
philippines
solutions
managing
health
environmental
impacts
expanding
mining
energy
transition
minerals
systems
climate-environment
methods
enabling
robust
Municipal waste collection in rapidly growing cities of Poland fails to reach large portions of the population, resulting in informal dumping and public health risks.
health-biology
europe
poland
public-health
municipal
waste
collection
cities
improving
solid
coverage
fast-growing
rapidly
climate-environment
growing
global-unspecified
systems
african
Despite recognition of its importance, reliable methods for deliberation systems reducing affective polarization while preserving contestation are still lacking. Progress is hindered by incomplete mechanistic knowledge, high capital and operational barriers, and the absence of deployment models suited to the contexts of greatest need.
climate-environment
europe
spain
deliberation
systems
reducing
affective
polarization
while
preserving
contestation
breakthrough
approaches
methods
society-governance
barriers
designs
economics-resources
Achieving interventions that close the gender gap in STEM participation in low-income settings at meaningful scale demands simultaneous progress in fundamental research, engineering integration and socio-technical systems that work for low- and middle-income settings. Existing efforts remain fragmented relative to the magnitude of the challenge.
economics-resources
africa
tanzania
settings
interventions
close
gender
gap
stem
participation
low-income
deployable
technologies
systems
climate-environment
society-governance
solutions
methods
Current approaches to low-energy nitrogen fixation alternatives to Haber-Bosch at farm scale either underperform under variable field conditions or generate externalities that undermine long-term sustainability and equity. Closing the gap requires coordinated advances in science, systems design and enabling institutions.
society-governance
europe
france
systems
low-energy
nitrogen
fixation
alternatives
haber-bosch
farm
scale
field-ready
current
climate-environment
enabling
approaches
under
technology-computing
open
United States, North America
A persistent gap exists in realizing practical, scalable solutions for pathways for achieving a just and equitable transition to a sustainable global economy. Scientific understanding, engineering readiness and institutional capacity remain insufficient to translate promising concepts into durable impact under real-world constraints of cost, skills and governance.
society-governance
north-america
united-states
pathways
achieving
just
equitable
transition
sustainable
economy
robust
methods
solutions
systems
enabling
scalable
climate-environment
technologies
open
Paraguay, South America
Current approaches to self-healing structural composites for marine cyclic loading either underperform under variable field conditions or generate externalities that undermine long-term sustainability and equity. Closing the gap requires coordinated advances in science, systems design and enabling institutions.
society-governance
south-america
paraguay
self-healing
structural
composites
marine
cyclic
loading
integrated
pathways
current
approaches
systems
climate-environment
enabling
solutions
under
Farmers in remote regions of Vietnam lose significant crop value because seasonal roads become impassable during rains, cutting off access to markets during critical selling windows.
economics-resources
asia
vietnam
remote
regions
roads
connecting
agricultural
reliable
market
during
farmers
global-unspecified
whether
philosophy-ethics
technology-computing
climate-environment
open
Mexico, North America
The absence of robust, context-adapted solutions for interventions that reduce the prevalence of violence against women and children at population scale creates cascading risks across interconnected human and natural systems. Key missing elements include durable performance, low lifetime cost, and governance arrangements capable of sustaining impact beyond pilot stages.
society-governance
north-america
mexico
interventions
reduce
prevalence
violence
against
women
children
population
scale
breakthrough
solutions
systems
climate-environment
robust
methods
Staple crops grown in Nigeria are increasingly vulnerable to heat stress and shifting rainfall patterns, and locally adapted resilient varieties take years to breed and distribute through existing seed systems.
climate-environment
africa
nigeria
staple
varieties
breeding
climate-resilient
crop
suited
crops
grown
increasingly
resilient
systems
under
technology-computing
climate
The absence of robust, context-adapted solutions for education systems that prepare learners to understand and address complex global challenges creates cascading risks across interconnected human and natural systems. Key missing elements include durable performance, low lifetime cost, and governance arrangements capable of sustaining impact beyond pilot stages.
society-governance
africa
senegal
systems
education
prepare
learners
understand
address
complex
development
absence
solutions
climate-environment
methods
ensuring
robust
enabling
open
Guatemala, North America
Achieving methods for assessing and mitigating the impacts of climate change on cultural heritage sites at meaningful scale demands simultaneous progress in fundamental research, engineering integration and socio-technical systems that work for low- and middle-income settings. Existing efforts remain fragmented relative to the magnitude of the challenge.
climate-environment
north-america
guatemala
climate-change
methods
assessing
mitigating
impacts
climate
change
cultural
heritage
sites
breakthrough
economics-resources
systems
society-governance
solutions
The absence of robust, context-adapted solutions for low-cost methods for detecting and remediating soil heavy metal contamination creates cascading risks across interconnected human and natural systems. Key missing elements include durable performance, low lifetime cost, and governance arrangements capable of sustaining impact beyond pilot stages.
society-governance
asia
south-korea
low-cost
methods
detecting
remediating
soil
heavy
metal
contamination
practical
realization
systems
solutions
climate-environment
robust
enabling
The absence of robust, context-adapted solutions for biotechnologies for engineering crops with enhanced nutritional profiles under climate stress creates cascading risks across interconnected human and natural systems. Key missing elements include durable performance, low lifetime cost, and governance arrangements capable of sustaining impact beyond pilot stages.
climate-environment
asia
india
solutions
biotechnologies
engineering
crops
enhanced
nutritional
profiles
under
climate
stress
society-governance
systems
methods
enabling
ensuring
open
Democratic Republic of Congo, Africa
Rivers feeding into coastal waters near Democratic Republic of Congo carry substantial plastic waste from inland cities, and municipal waste management systems lack the capacity to intercept it before it reaches the ocean.
local-regional
africa
democratic-republic-of-congo
waste-management
waste
plastic
coastal
waters
near
democratic
republic
congo
reducing
inflow
climate-environment
global-unspecified
systems
A persistent gap exists in realizing practical, scalable solutions for solutions for managing the social and economic transitions associated with the decline of fossil fuels. Scientific understanding, engineering readiness and institutional capacity remain insufficient to translate promising concepts into durable impact under real-world constraints of cost, skills and governance.
society-governance
africa
ethiopia
solutions
scalable
managing
social
economic
transitions
associated
decline
fossil
fuels
systems
methods
governance
climate-environment
practical
A persistent gap exists in realizing practical, scalable solutions for methods for assessing the resilience of supply chains to climate and geopolitical disruptions. Scientific understanding, engineering readiness and institutional capacity remain insufficient to translate promising concepts into durable impact under real-world constraints of cost, skills and governance.
society-governance
oceania
australia
supply-chain
solutions
methods
assessing
resilience
supply
chains
climate
geopolitical
disruptions
systemic
systems
climate-environment
scalable
institutional
open
Mexico, North America
A persistent gap exists in realizing practical, scalable solutions for biotechnologies for engineering crops that are more resilient to pests and diseases under climate change. Scientific understanding, engineering readiness and institutional capacity remain insufficient to translate promising concepts into durable impact under real-world constraints of cost, skills and governance.
society-governance
north-america
mexico
climate-change
engineering
under
biotechnologies
crops
resilient
pests
diseases
climate
change
field-ready
systems
solutions
climate-environment
methods
Current approaches to nature-based solutions for urban biodiversity that also provide cooling and flood benefits either underperform under variable field conditions or generate externalities that undermine long-term sustainability and equity. Closing the gap requires coordinated advances in science, systems design and enabling institutions.
climate-environment
oceania
australia
biodiversity
nature-based
solutions
urban
also
provide
cooling
flood
benefits
integrated
society-governance
systems
enabling
nature
approaches