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
Non-tariff barriers, poor infrastructure, and weak logistics keep most African trade oriented toward external partners rather than neighbors. Digital trade-facilitation platforms could help small businesses navigate cross-border commerce.
technology-computing
africa
trade
intra-african
remains
far
below
its
potential
despite
afcfta
agreement
digital
african
global-unspecified
infrastructure
economics-resources
access
Exporting unprocessed oil, minerals, and crops instead of finished goods leaves economies vulnerable to price swings and limits job creation. Local value-addition industries in manufacturing and processing offer higher and more stable returns.
economics-resources
africa
economies
resource-rich
african
remain
overly
dependent
raw
commodity
exports
exporting
global-unspecified
climate-environment
supply
local
asia
pathways
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
Most remittance money goes to consumption rather than business or infrastructure investment, missing a huge development opportunity. Diaspora investment bonds and startup co-investment platforms could redirect some of these flows productively.
economics-resources
africa
investment
diaspora
remittances
though
large
rarely
channeled
productive
local
remittance
infrastructure
african
global-unspecified
technology-computing
autonomous
remains
open
Sahel & Horn of Africa, Africa
Groups like Boko Haram and al-Shabaab exploit weak governance and poverty to recruit and control territory. Community-resilience programs paired with local economic opportunity have shown more success than military approaches alone.
economics-resources
africa
sahel-horn-of-africa
terrorism
insurgency
sahel
horn
continue
displacing
millions
groups
like
society-governance
asia
global-unspecified
african
have
philosophy-ethics
Porous borders and weak arms-control enforcement allow illegal weapons to circulate freely, sustaining violence. Regional arms-tracking databases and stronger cross-border cooperation could reduce illicit flows.
social-civic-problems
africa
small
arms
proliferation
fuels
conflict
crime
several
african
regions
porous
global-unspecified
weak
society-governance
asia
economics-resources
philosophy-ethics
open
Gulf of Guinea, Africa
Weak naval capacity among coastal states lets criminal networks disrupt shipping and extract ransoms. Shared regional maritime surveillance systems could improve enforcement capacity.
local-regional
africa
gulf-of-guinea
maritime
piracy
smuggling
persist
gulf
guinea
capacity
weak
naval
among
systems
society-governance
without
mass
surveillance
Competition over shrinking grazing land and water is turning traditional rivalries deadly in several regions. Conflict-early-warning systems and shared resource-management agreements could ease tensions.
social-civic-problems
africa
cattle
rustling
farmer-herder
clashes
growing
source
rural
violence
competition
over
global-unspecified
water
climate-environment
urban
african
asia
Weak digital literacy and law enforcement capacity make the continent both a source and target of online fraud and scams. Regional cybercrime units and public awareness campaigns need significant investment.
social-civic-problems
africa
cybercrime
originating
targeting
rising
rapidly
weak
digital
literacy
law
technology-computing
public
african
asia
global-unspecified
gap
online
open
United Kingdom, Europe
The absence of robust, context-adapted solutions for solutions for safe long-term storage and monitoring of captured carbon dioxide 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
europe
united-kingdom
solutions
safe
long-term
storage
monitoring
captured
carbon
dioxide
breakthrough
approaches
systems
climate-environment
enabling
methods
robust
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Current radioisotope thermoelectric generators rely on scarce Pu-238, limiting mission frequency and payload capacity. Developing miniaturized, high-efficiency nuclear or alternative power sources is vital for continuous outer-planet exploration.
science-space
global-unspecified
power
sources
lack
autonomous
long-life
deep-space
missions
beyond
solar
reach
climate-environment
small
businesses
african
open
United States, North America
Millions of untracked fragments threaten operational satellites and crewed stations via the Kessler Syndrome. Scalable active debris removal mechanisms and real-time sub-centimeter tracking are required to maintain orbital usability.
science-space
north-america
united-states
orbital
debris
space
poses
exponential
cascade
risk
low
earth
orbit
technologies
removal
dual
global-unspecified
philosophy-ethics
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Long-duration missions to Mars risk irreversible DNA damage, cognitive decline, and cancer in astronauts. Lightweight, high-efficiency passive shielding or active electromagnetic deflectors remain undeveloped.
science-space
global-unspecified
human
spaceflight
severely
limited
high-energy
galactic
cosmic
ray
exposure
long-duration
shielding
society-governance
missions
health-biology
know
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Transporting fuel and life support reagents from Earth is economically non-viable for sustained settlements. We need robust robotic systems capable of excavating, purifying, and processing icy regolith under extreme thermal conditions.
economics-resources
global-unspecified
in-situ
extraction
refining
water
ice
mars
moon
remains
unproven
scale
systems
society-governance
climate-environment
under
ensuring
real
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Indirect gravitational measurements confirm dark matter's existence, but direct detection experiments have failed to identify the constituent particle. Solving this is necessary to complete our fundamental model of physics.
science-space
global-unspecified
dark
matter
not
know
physical
identity
makes
cosmic
mass
indirect
fully
whether
philosophy-ethics
don
actually
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Dark energy accounts for roughly 68% of the universe, yet its equation of state and microscopic nature remain complete mysteries. Precise mapping of cosmic expansion over time is crucial for predicting the ultimate fate of space-time.
science-space
global-unspecified
expansion
universe
dark
energy
exact
cause
accelerating
unknown
accounts
roughly
know
understand
mathematics-logic
matter
fully
whether
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Carrington-level space weather events can destroy global electrical grids, communication satellites, and orbital stations. Advanced space-based magnetometers and AI predictive models are required for early warning systems.
science-space
global-unspecified
cannot
reliably
predict
solar
coronal
mass
ejections
breach
earth
magnetosphere
systems
climate-environment
space
weather
infrastructure
society-governance
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Transit times to Mars and the outer planets require months to years of flight, increasing risk and cost. Breakthrough high-thrust, high-Isp propulsion systems—such as nuclear thermal or plasma engines—are critical.
science-space
global-unspecified
chemical
rockets
too
slow
efficient
human
payload
transport
solar
system
systems
society-governance
ensuring
informal
safety
reliability
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Astronauts lose up to 1-2% of bone mass per month in microgravity despite daily intensive physical exercise regimes. Artificial gravity habitats or gene-targeted therapeutics are needed to enable multi-year interstellar trips.
health-biology
global-unspecified
bone
zero-gravity
muscle
atrophy
density
loss
lack
permanent
non-exercise
countermeasure
philosophy-ethics
whether
mathematics-logic
don
way
prevent
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Radio communication links offer extremely limited bandwidth for high-definition scientific data streams from deep space. Developing ultra-precise laser beam stabilization near the Sun is essential for high-rate planetary telemetry.
science-space
global-unspecified
deep
space
laser
optical
communications
suffer
high
pointing
jitter
solar
philosophy-ethics
whether
systems
mathematics-logic
radio
fully
