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
military rule returning 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.
military
rule
returning
strengthening
global
local-regional
The problem of conflict of interest rules remaining weak 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.
conflict
interest
rules
remaining
weak
other
urban farming blocked by rules 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.
successful
urban
farming
blocked
rules
other
Addressing dual citizenship rules remaining strict 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.
capacity
dual
citizenship
rules
remaining
mathematics-logic
Future challenges such as AI, climate engineering, cyber conflict, and biotechnology cross borders but may be governed by incompatible national rules. The open problem is creating minimum safety floors without requiring complete political agreement. 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.
technology-computing
coordination
countries
reject
shared
standards
low-income
communities
future
such
climate-environment
economics-resources
society-governance
systems
infrastructure
quantum
science-space
safe
The problem of safety rules being ignored 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.
safety
rules
being
ignored
implementing
other
Addressing weak rules governing outer space 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.
weak
rules
governing
outer
space
science-space
open
Brazil, South America
Future cities may depend on private platforms operating transit, energy, housing, communication, and public-space services. Strong public-interest rules are needed when essential services are controlled through private systems. 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.
technology-computing
south-america
brazil
services
urban
governance
privately
operated
public
infrastructure
low-income
communities
private
economics-resources
society-governance
climate-environment
systems
quantum
Future fleets of autonomous vessels may survey, extract, monitor, or patrol oceans without continuous human control. The challenge is establishing safety, attribution, environmental limits, and collision rules across maritime jurisdictions. 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.
climate-environment
autonomous
governing
ocean
vehicles
shared
waters
low-income
communities
future
fleets
technology-computing
economics-resources
society-governance
systems
infrastructure
quantum
science-space
Pets that can demand short-term human embodiment for negotiations raise questions of consent, capacity, and responsibility. The challenge is defining boundaries that protect both species without creating unmanageable hybrid legal status.
human
establishing
clear
rules
temporary
local-regional
Access rules that demand deposition of a memory before entry turn recreation into an emotional transaction. The challenge is preserving green-space availability without compulsory self-disclosure.
entry
memory
designing
park
does
science-space
Automatic transfer of parental digital contracts to minors creates financial and data liabilities before legal capacity. The challenge is designing inheritance rules for digital services that protect children from involuntary ongoing commitments.
digital
children
preventing
inheriting
unresolved
technology-computing
Localised gravity fluctuations caused by energy or structural load management can injure residents and damage property. The challenge is designing buildings and occupancy rules that prevent such failures or make them predictable and survivable without requiring constant monitoring.
gravity
failures
mitigating
temporary
dense
social-civic-problems
Shadows may become information-rich surfaces that can be scanned or recorded without the person’s knowledge. The problem is establishing ownership and consent rules for the data carried by one’s own silhouette while still allowing beneficial environmental sensing.
shadows
data
protecting
personal
non
climate-environment
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
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
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
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
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 under climate migration pressure, because public institutions must remain fair, resilient, and accountable while adapting to new risks.
society-governance
asia
philippines
registries
under
climate
migration
pressure
governance
public-interest
model
institutions
risks
public
climate-environment
systems
Lunar infrastructure and resource extraction could create new strategic inequalities. The challenge is developing rules that enable science and commercial activity while protecting shared interests and preventing territorial competition. The design must remain functional when standards, trade routes, data access, and diplomatic cooperation are unreliable. 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.
economics-resources
oceania
australia
access
lunar
equitable
scientific
resources
under
geopolitical
fragmentation
create
infrastructure
technology-computing
climate-environment
society-governance
systems
quantum