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
Economies are not creating enough formal jobs to absorb the roughly 10-12 million youth entering the labor market annually. Skills-matching platforms and support for youth-led micro-enterprises are urgently needed.
economics-resources
africa
youth
unemployment
remains
critically
high
despite
young
growing
population
global-unspecified
low
asia
rural
Weak IP enforcement means inventors and creators often see their ideas copied without compensation, discouraging investment in R&D. Streamlined regional patent systems could better protect innovators.
local-regional
africa
innovators
piracy
intellectual
property
discourages
african
commercializing
inventions
weak
enforcement
society-governance
systems
asia
public
creating
accountable
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Variable space weather causes unpredictable upper atmosphere expansion, creating atmospheric drag that alters satellite orbits without warning. Space situational awareness requires real-time upper-atmosphere mapping.
science-space
global-unspecified
lack
precise
continuous
monitoring
earth
thermosphere
ionosphere
mass
density
space
enabling
society-governance
technologies
systems
know
Excessive synthetic fertilizer use in intensive farming regions washes into rivers and estuaries, creating massive oxygen-depleted dead zones where aquatic life cannot survive.
climate-environment
asia
china
massive
zones
haven
controlled
agricultural
runoff
causing
marine
hypoxia
coastal
global-unspecified
prevent
way
whether
philosophy-ethics
Drained peat soils ignite during dry El Niño years, creating subterranean fires that burn for months, releasing enormous carbon emissions and toxic transboundary haze.
climate-environment
asia
indonesia
carbon-emissions
carbon
haven
secured
peatland
fire
suppression
networks
stop
annual
catastrophic
global-unspecified
whether
philosophy-ethics
mathematics-logic
First-time digital payment users in rural areas are highly vulnerable to social engineering scams, causing severe sudden financial losses.
technology-computing
asia
india
digital
users
payment
haven
built
effective
fraud
protection
systems
low-literacy
society-governance
global-unspecified
creating
african
whether
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Bacteria evolve resistance faster than new antibiotics are being developed and approved, creating a widening treatment gap. Without new approaches, once-treatable infections could become far deadlier again.
health-biology
global-unspecified
new
infections
yet
stop
rise
antibiotic-resistant
drug
development
alone
whether
philosophy-ethics
haven
resolved
papua
mathematics-logic
prevent
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Different countries have wildly different rules on what genetic research is permitted, creating a patchwork where risky experiments can simply move to wherever oversight is weakest. International cooperation on this remains far behind the pace of the science.
philosophy-ethics
global-unspecified
have
research
institutions
consistent
framework
governing
ethics
safety
gene
whether
determine
resolved
don
mathematics-logic
agreed
way
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Government requests for user data from platforms vary wildly in scope and legal justification from country to country, creating confusion for both companies and citizens about what protections actually apply. A clearer international norm remains unbuilt.
technology-computing
global-unspecified
international
data
companies
there
consistent
standard
governments
request
tech
country
whether
society-governance
philosophy-ethics
resolved
determine
have
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
The UN handles war and peace, the WTO handles trade, and the WHO handles pandemics, but none of them were built with today's cross-cutting crises in mind. This leaves gaps where no institution has a clear mandate at all.
health-biology
global-unspecified
built
war
were
pandemics
handles
institutions
world
not
designed
society-governance
public
governance
designing
creating
building
democratic
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
New technologies have always displaced some jobs while creating others, but there's no agreed threshold for how much short-term harm is an acceptable cost of long-term progress.
economics-resources
global-unspecified
progress
haven
found
shared
answer
technological
unemployment
society
willing
accept
whether
philosophy-ethics
resolved
determine
know
mathematics-logic
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
People with more money can typically afford far better legal defense than those without, creating uneven outcomes within the same justice system. Equalizing access to quality legal representation remains a persistent gap in many countries.
society-governance
global-unspecified
legal
access
representation
yet
ensure
equal
regardless
person
income
people
whether
philosophy-ethics
determine
resolved
remains
have
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Cryptocurrency regulation varies wildly by country, creating loopholes that enable fraud and money laundering to move freely across borders. A more consistent global approach remains politically difficult to achieve.
society-governance
global-unspecified
consistent
approach
cryptocurrency
fraud
don
have
regulating
enabling
large-scale
philosophy-ethics
whether
determine
resolved
way
agreed
mathematics-logic
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Free expression is broadly valued as essential to a healthy society, but some speech can contribute to tangible harm, creating an unresolved tension between liberty and protection. This debate remains central to discussions on censorship and hate speech.
philosophy-ethics
global-unspecified
free
expression
harm
don
know
whether
ethical
prioritize
protecting
even
resolved
haven
determine
mathematics-logic
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Sometimes achieving broader social stability seems to require tolerating individual injustices in the short term, creating an unresolved ethical tension between collective and individual good. This tension appears in debates over transitional justice after conflict or political upheaval.
philosophy-ethics
global-unspecified
individual
stability
over
justice
haven
figured
out
whether
possible
justify
resolved
know
determine
ethical
mathematics-logic
don
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Focusing resources and attention on the most vulnerable can come at some cost to overall group efficiency or advancement, creating an unresolved tension between compassion and collective progress. This tension appears throughout education, healthcare, and social policy.
philosophy-ethics
global-unspecified
group
vulnerable
progress
don
know
whether
ethical
prioritize
wellbeing
members
resolved
haven
determine
mathematics-logic
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Some philosophers argue that creating new life is never straightforwardly good given the guaranteed hardships of existence, while most people reject this conclusion intuitively. This unresolved tension underlies debates in population ethics.
philosophy-ethics
global-unspecified
new
people
existence
given
don
have
resolved
answer
whether
ethical
determine
know
haven
mathematics-logic
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Maximizing equality often requires limiting some individual freedoms, and maximizing freedom often produces significant inequality, creating a tension no single theory has fully resolved. This unresolved balance remains central to political philosophy.
philosophy-ethics
global-unspecified
fully
theory
equality
individual
freedom
haven
figured
out
whether
possible
resolved
mathematics-logic
know
determine
every
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Some philosophical traditions argue coming into existence carries a built-in risk of harm that non-existence avoids entirely, while most people intuitively value life as a good in itself. This unresolved debate underlies serious questions in population ethics.
philosophy-ethics
global-unspecified
existence
itself
good
don
know
whether
considered
fundamentally
neutral
something
resolved
haven
determine
mathematics-logic
ethical
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Policies that protect the most vulnerable often slow down broader societal advancement or economic growth, creating an unresolved tension between compassion and collective progress. Different ethical frameworks weigh this tradeoff very differently.
economics-resources
global-unspecified
ethical
vulnerable
progress
haven
figured
out
whether
prioritize
protecting
even
philosophy-ethics
resolved
determine
know
mathematics-logic
don