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.
Publicly citable
Every problem has a stable citation code for reference and discussion.
Filtered by relevance
Search by category, geography, status, and keywords.
Builder-oriented
Use the repository to find startup ideas, policy leads, and research agendas.
4194Total
4194Open
0Solved
9Humans
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
Addressing poor families unable to buy nutritious food 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.
poor
families
unable
buy
nutritious
mathematics-logic
The problem of steadily rising food prices 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.
steadily
rising
food
prices
building
other
Vehicles that dynamically alter destinations according to collective emotional signals create unpredictability for both passengers and city logistics. The challenge is balancing responsiveness with reliability so that mobility remains dependable for work, care, and emergency needs.
keeping
public
transport
routes
coherent
local-regional
Addressing floods that destroy homes and livelihoods 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.
floods
destroy
homes
livelihoods
2030
climate-environment
Statues that continuously change expression or posture according to live public sentiment risk turning monuments into unstable opinion mirrors. The problem is allowing cultural responsiveness without erasing the original historical record or creating permanent contention over every figure.
historical
public
statues
opinion
preserving
philosophy-ethics
Addressing more powerful and destructive storms 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.
powerful
destructive
storms
2030
establishing
mathematics-logic
Smart textiles that adapt to and then lock in a wearer’s patterns can limit self-expression and create unwanted permanence. The challenge is designing garments that learn usefully without removing the wearer’s ability to change appearance or discard unwanted adaptations.
change
restoring
personal
agency
when
technology-computing
Addressing widespread destruction of wildlife habitats 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.
widespread
destruction
wildlife
habitats
2030
mathematics-logic
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
When digital systems fail, public trust in records, payments, and eligibility can collapse. The challenge is designing governance that can preserve continuity, recover data, and verify truth across technical interruptions. This becomes particularly difficult in informal settlements, because public institutions must remain fair, resilient, and accountable while adapting to new risks.
society-governance
trust
data
informal
settlements
building
state
during
frequent
system
outages
public
systems
technology-computing
institutions
governance
When collective memory of shared events is rewritten in real time by majority vote or algorithmic consensus, no stable historical baseline remains. The problem is creating durable, independently verifiable archives that coexist with participatory updating without being overwritten.
events
preserving
original
records
public
technology-computing
Addressing marine animals dying after ingesting plastic 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.
marine
animals
dying
after
ingesting
climate-environment
Interactive reconstructions of dead relatives may demand ongoing inclusion in gatherings, decisions, and emotional life. The problem is setting boundaries that respect both the living family’s autonomy and any residual rights or wishes of the deceased without forcing perpetual digital presence.
digital
deceased
family
life
managing
technology-computing
Addressing high vehicle emissions damaging health and climate 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.
high
vehicle
emissions
damaging
health
climate-environment
The problem of dangerous levels of air pollution in cities 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.
dangerous
levels
air
pollution
cities
other
When people rent out unused cognitive capacity during daydreaming, buyers may leave behind persistent mental traces. The problem is creating clean separation between leased neural resources and the host’s own cognition so that temporary economic use does not produce lasting psychological or identity effects.
preventing
residual
thought
contamination
rented
economics-resources
Addressing people forced to sleep on the streets 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.
people
forced
sleep
streets
2030
mathematics-logic
If facial appearance can be altered continuously through filters or implants, both social recognition and security systems lose stable anchors. The problem is maintaining trustworthy identity verification and human connection without requiring permanent biometric locks that themselves create new risks.
identity
recognition
filters
preserving
reliable
technology-computing
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