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
Millions of delivery drivers and ride-hailing workers in South and Southeast Asia operate without employment benefits, workplace injury compensation, or collective bargaining rights, leaving them economically precarious.
economics-resources
asia
indonesia
workers
haven
established
labor
protections
gig
economy
platform
fast-growing
asian
informal
african
global-unspecified
worker
Migrant laborers moving between South/Southeast Asia and Gulf/East Asian nations often incur exorbitant debt to recruit agencies, exposing them to forced labor conditions and wage theft without reliable legal remedies.
social-civic-problems
asia
sri-lanka
migrant
debt
haven
created
safe
migration
frameworks
protect
cross-border
workers
global-unspecified
african
economics-resources
technology-computing
informal
While advanced manufacturing is concentrated in East Asia, neighboring developing economies remain trapped in low-margin raw material extraction and low-skilled assembly without technology transfer or capacity building.
economics-resources
asia
thailand
supply-chain
developing
economies
haven
built
equitable
semiconductor
supply
chains
distribute
technical
access
global-unspecified
asian
manufacturing
Millions of informal recyclers form the backbone of Asian urban waste processing, yet they work under dangerous, toxic conditions without official recognition, equipment, or social safety protections.
local-regional
asia
india
waste-management
waste
informal
haven
integrated
pickers
modern
municipal
solid
management
systems
climate-environment
society-governance
economics-resources
global-unspecified
Global warming is causing Himalayan glaciers to melt rapidly, expanding high-altitude glacial lakes. When natural dams breach, catastrophic floods destroy downstream mountain settlements without adequate real-time warning systems.
climate-environment
asia
nepal
warning
systems
glacial
floods
haven
developed
scalable
early
lake
outburst
society-governance
real
time
technology-computing
economics-resources
Overfishing and destructive fishing practices like dynamite and cyanide fishing are collapsing fish stocks and destroying delicate coral reef ecosystems across disputed maritime territories without effective joint enforcement.
economics-resources
asia
china
fishing
haven
successfully
eliminated
illegal
unreported
unregulated
iuu
international
waters
coastal
communities
global-unspecified
near
science-space
Opaque public tendering for large infrastructure projects frequently leads to corruption, cost overruns, and substandard public construction without digital auditing systems.
society-governance
asia
pakistan
public
haven
ensured
transparency
major
procurement
contracts
developing
asian
jurisdictions
systems
technology-computing
institutions
digital
global-unspecified
Divergent definitions of 'sustainable investments' across regional stock exchanges allow carbon-intensive industries to access green bond financing without verified emissions reductions.
climate-environment
asia
singapore
green
haven
harmonized
taxonomy
standards
asian
capital
markets
eliminate
greenwashing
african
remains
africa
global-unspecified
education
In Mongolia and Central Asia, winter disaster phenomena ('dzuds') freeze pasturelands, killing millions of livestock and forcing nomadic herders into impoverished urban shantytowns without transition support.
climate-environment
asia
mongolia
nomadic
livestock
haven
modernized
traditional
pastoral
management
survive
severe
extreme
urban
health-biology
global-unspecified
established
economics-resources
Without official birth certificates, millions of children across border regions are unable to access public healthcare, attend public schools, or obtain legal identification later in life.
health-biology
asia
myanmar
public-health
birth
haven
achieved
full
universal
registration
rural
stateless
populations
public
society-governance
global-unspecified
access
economics-resources
Unplanned urban concrete expansion combined with rising temperatures has created extreme urban heat pockets, severely threatening elderly and low-income outdoor workers without public cooling centers.
economics-resources
asia
pakistan
urban
extreme
heat
haven
protected
rapid
urbanization
zones
island
uhi
climate-environment
cities
systems
global-unspecified
water
As secondary cities across Asia rapidly commercialize, low-income slum residents without formal title deeds face forcible evictions without fair compensation or viable alternative housing.
social-civic-problems
asia
cambodia
secondary
cities
haven
structured
legal
protections
prevent
urban
land
grabs
informal
economics-resources
african
global-unspecified
settlements
Schools in high-risk disaster zones teach abstract science without practical climate resilience, disaster survival, and local ecosystem stewardship modules.
climate-environment
asia
sri-lanka
climate-change
climate
haven
integrated
comprehensive
change
adaptation
curricula
primary
public
school
society-governance
systems
under
methods
Discriminatory land tenure norms prevent women from owning real estate, which standard commercial banks require as collateral to secure business growth loans.
economics-resources
asia
bangladesh
loans
collateral
haven
overcome
financial
exclusion
female
entrepreneurs
seeking
formal
global-unspecified
technology-computing
african
whether
philosophy-ethics
Workers dismantling ocean vessels in beach yards face exposure to asbestos, heavy metals, and explosions without adequate protective gear or automated machinery.
health-biology
asia
bangladesh
haven
mitigated
systemic
occupational
risks
faced
shipbreaking
laborers
operating
intertidal
informal
workers
heat
protecting
extreme
Centralized national identity databases lack modern cybersecurity protocols, exposing millions of citizens' biometric data to commercial misuse and state surveillance.
technology-computing
asia
india
cybersecurity
data
identity
haven
secured
civil
registration
systems
unauthorized
access
theft
society-governance
global-unspecified
whether
without
Foreign pharmaceutical companies patent compounds derived from traditional Asian herbal knowledge without benefit-sharing agreements with native communities.
society-governance
asia
india
traditional
haven
protected
indigenous
intellectual
property
rights
over
medicinal
plant
global-unspecified
climate-environment
african
philosophy-ethics
whether
Drying lakebeds like the Aral Sea release toxic salt and pesticide dust that spreads across borders, ruining farmland without joint regional land restoration.
local-regional
asia
uzbekistan
regional
dust
haven
established
transboundary
storm
mitigation
agreements
central
global-unspecified
climate-environment
african
africa
remains
Frequent regional power shortages cut off electricity to rural operating rooms and ICU units without automatic solar-battery fail-safes.
local-regional
africa
nigeria
rural
haven
integrated
local
microgrids
smart
load
shedding
protect
hospitals
economics-resources
access
remains
african
public
Rapid installation of robotics in manufacturing plants leaves low-skilled factory workers unemployed without access to technology retraining.
technology-computing
asia
china
retraining
factory
workers
haven
created
effective
vocational
programs
displaced
industrial
mathematics-logic
local
might
actors
economics-resources