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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4094Total
4094Open
0Solved
9Humans
open
Chile, South America
Overfishing has collapsed several near-shore fish stocks critical to coastal livelihoods in Chile, and existing quota systems are poorly enforced due to limited monitoring of small-scale fishing fleets.
economics-resources
south-america
chile
collapsed
near-shore
fish
stocks
rebuilding
off
coast
overfishing
has
near
shore
fishing
coastal
climate-environment
communities
Achieving mechanisms for rapid, transparent and equitable allocation of climate loss and damage finance 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
europe
netherlands
mechanisms
rapid
transparent
equitable
allocation
climate
loss
damage
finance
systemic
economics-resources
systems
society-governance
solutions
ensuring
open
Colombia, South America
Current approaches to solutions for providing safe and accessible public transport in rapidly growing secondary cities 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
colombia
public-transport
solutions
providing
safe
accessible
public
transport
rapidly
growing
secondary
cities
systems
climate-environment
enabling
economics-resources
open
United States, North America
The absence of robust, context-adapted solutions for institutional arrangements that accelerate the adoption of proven public health interventions 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
united-states
public-health
arrangements
institutional
accelerate
adoption
proven
public
health
interventions
practical
realization
solutions
systems
climate-environment
methods
open
Costa Rica, North America
Achieving community-scale renewable microgrids resilient to extreme weather isolation 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
costa-rica
community-scale
renewable
microgrids
resilient
extreme
weather
isolation
integrated
pathways
achieving
economics-resources
systems
society-governance
designs
methods
open
Brazil, South America
Smallholder farmers in Brazil are frequently price takers with no visibility into regional market rates, leaving them dependent on middlemen who capture most of the margin.
local-regional
south-america
brazil
smallholder
farmers
connecting
fair
transparent
commodity
pricing
frequently
price
economics-resources
climate-environment
grain
water
Germany has expanding agricultural frontiers bordering wildlife habitat where novel pathogens can jump species, but there is no routine, affordable genomic surveillance at these interfaces to catch spillover before human transmission begins.
health-biology
europe
germany
spillover
interfaces
detecting
zoonotic
risk
wildlife-livestock
has
expanding
agricultural
wildlife
philosophy-ethics
surveillance
The absence of robust, context-adapted solutions for governance frameworks ensuring that advances in longevity science benefit all socioeconomic groups 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
oceania
australia
governance
frameworks
ensuring
advances
longevity
science
benefit
all
socioeconomic
groups
systems
solutions
climate-environment
enabling
methods
The absence of robust, context-adapted solutions for technologies enabling precise and low-impact application of agricultural inputs 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
china
technologies
enabling
precise
low-impact
application
agricultural
inputs
breakthrough
approaches
absence
systems
solutions
climate-environment
methods
robust
Current approaches to technologies enabling the continuous monitoring of air quality and its health impacts at high resolution 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
asia
nepal
enabling
technologies
continuous
monitoring
air
quality
its
health
impacts
high
society-governance
systems
methods
health-biology
solutions
open
Colombia, South America
A persistent gap exists in realizing practical, scalable solutions for methods for restoring the carbon and biodiversity values of degraded peatlands and wetlands. 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
south-america
colombia
biodiversity
methods
restoring
carbon
values
degraded
peatlands
wetlands
overcoming
barriers
solutions
systems
climate-environment
scalable
practical
Women in formal-sector jobs in Peru continue to earn less than men in comparable roles, and current pay-transparency requirements are too weak to be enforced effectively.
economics-resources
south-america
peru
formal-sector
closing
gender
pay
gap
employment
women
jobs
continue
sector
formal
colombia
mexico
haiti
society-governance
Current approaches to cognitive and social interventions that improve collective problem-solving under uncertainty 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
africa
nigeria
under
cognitive
social
interventions
improve
collective
problem-solving
uncertainty
overcoming
barriers
systems
climate-environment
enabling
solutions
approaches
A persistent gap exists in realizing practical, scalable solutions for technologies for detecting and neutralizing chemical and biological threats at public venues. 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
asia
malaysia
scalable
solutions
technologies
detecting
neutralizing
chemical
biological
threats
public
venues
systems
methods
enabling
governance
practical
open
Solomon Islands, Oceania
The absence of robust, context-adapted solutions for cryptographically private national-scale health data analytics 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
oceania
solomon-islands
cryptographically
private
national-scale
health
data
analytics
development
absence
robust
context-adapted
solutions
systems
climate-environment
methods
governance
Achieving carbon-negative cementitious binders setting in saline conditions 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
europe
greece
carbon-negative
cementitious
binders
setting
saline
conditions
breakthrough
approaches
achieving
meaningful
economics-resources
systems
society-governance
methods
solutions
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Automated trading algorithms can sometimes trigger rapid, extreme price swings in smaller or less liquid markets, especially during unusual conditions, without any single actor intending market harm. Building safeguards against this kind of systemic risk remains incomplete.
technology-computing
global-unspecified
automated
trading
smaller
markets
during
haven
found
way
prevent
ai-driven
whether
philosophy-ethics
resolved
mathematics-logic
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Businesses seeking to cut corners could potentially use AI to generate fabricated but convincing compliance records for regulatory audits, and auditors don't always have the tools to catch increasingly sophisticated fake documentation. Strengthening audit verification remains an unresolved challenge.
technology-computing
global-unspecified
fake
compliance
documentation
regulatory
audits
yet
build
technology
reliably
detect
philosophy-ethics
whether
way
resolved
determine
mathematics-logic
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Networks of AI-assisted fake dating profiles can be deployed at scale to build trust with vulnerable users before extracting money or personal information. Detecting these coordinated networks before real harm occurs remains an unresolved platform challenge.
technology-computing
global-unspecified
networks
fake
dating
vulnerable
users
haven
solved
prevent
large-scale
automated
whether
philosophy-ethics
way
mathematics-logic
resolved
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Fabricated reviewer identities, complete with fake credentials, have occasionally been used to manipulate the peer review process in favor of certain papers. Verifying reviewer authenticity more rigorously remains an unresolved challenge for academic publishing.
local-regional
global-unspecified
reviewer
fake
academic
peer
review
build
fully
reliable
systems
prevent
whether
philosophy-ethics
way
resolved
technology-computing
mathematics-logic
