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
Historic neighborhoods and monuments are frequently demolished to make way for commercial development, erasing cultural heritage. Digital heritage-mapping and adaptive-reuse financing models could balance preservation with growth.
technology-computing
asia
heritage
cultural
preservation
development
site
under
threat
rapid
urban
climate-environment
society-governance
climate
long
term
global-unspecified
philosophy-ethics
open
Southeast Asia, Asia
Rising seas and stronger storms threaten to permanently displace communities that have lived in coastal areas for generations. Managed relocation planning and resilient livelihood diversification programs are urgently needed.
climate-environment
asia
southeast-asia
coastal
communities
small
island
southeast
face
growing
climate
displacement
economics-resources
global-unspecified
fishing
remote
african
Agriculture is seen as low-status and low-income work despite employing over half the continent's workforce. Agri-tech startups that make farming profitable and tech-enabled could reverse this trend.
economics-resources
africa
food-security
farming
youth
abandoning
urban
migration
threatening
future
food
security
agriculture
global-unspecified
climate-environment
haven
water
rural
Unregulated borehole drilling for agriculture and cities is drawing down aquifers faster than they recharge. Satellite-based groundwater monitoring tools could inform sustainable extraction limits.
science-space
africa
groundwater
depletion
threatens
long-term
water
security
several
regions
unregulated
borehole
climate-environment
global-unspecified
urban
asia
whether
long
Weak enforcement and high demand for ivory and rhino horn sustain illegal wildlife trade networks. AI-powered camera traps and ranger-support drone systems are improving anti-poaching efforts but need wider deployment.
economics-resources
africa
wildlife
efforts
poaching
continues
threaten
endangered
species
despite
conservation
weak
systems
climate-environment
society-governance
global-unspecified
illegal
philosophy-ethics
Cities like Lagos, Accra, and Dakar are losing land to erosion, threatening homes and economic infrastructure. Nature-based coastal defenses like mangrove restoration are cost-effective but underutilized.
economics-resources
africa
coastal
erosion
cities
infrastructure
rising
seas
threaten
major
african
like
climate-environment
global-unspecified
urban
systems
haven
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
While kinetic impactors work against predictable asteroids, long-period comets can appear with less than a year's warning. Rapid-response high-yield interception systems are needed to protect Earth from unexpected impacts.
economics-resources
global-unspecified
have
proven
way
divert
planet-threatening
comet
short-notice
trajectory
while
kinetic
systems
whether
philosophy-ethics
resolved
don
determine
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Martian dust storms and atmospheric tides cause rapid density shifts that alter entry trajectories and threaten landers. Real-time satellite atmosphere sensing and adaptive guidance systems are needed.
science-space
global-unspecified
atmospheric
entry
density
high-density
planetary
prediction
inaccurate
due
variable
upper-atmosphere
systems
real
time
society-governance
detecting
sensing
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
The boom in commercial satellite constellations on Earth causes RF noise that bleeds into planetary science frequency bands. Strict international spectrum carving and transition to optical laser links are necessary.
science-space
global-unspecified
frequency
spectrum
bands
radio
congestion
threatens
deep
space
telemetry
transmission
optical
laser
satellite
high
lack
communication
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Closed space station biomes combined with radiation select for rapid bacterial mutation, risking astronaut health. Autonomous metagenomic sequencing systems must continuously monitor station surfaces for bio-threats.
science-space
global-unspecified
drug-resistant
station
monitor
space
cannot
long-term
microbial
mutations
yield
multi-drug
resistant
systems
support
missions
medical
psychological
In major agricultural and industrial manufacturing regions across East and South Asia, overuse of antibiotics in livestock and unmonitored factory discharge have accelerated the proliferation of drug-resistant pathogens, threatening global healthcare systems.
health-biology
asia
india
agricultural
haven
halted
rapid
surge
antimicrobial
resistance
driven
unregulated
pharmaceutical
global-unspecified
systems
climate-environment
whether
philosophy-ethics
Subsidized electricity for agricultural tube wells has caused deep water tables across Northern India and Northern China to collapse, threatening domestic drinking supplies and long-term agricultural survival.
local-regional
asia
india
agricultural
caused
haven
reversed
severe
aquifer
depletion
unmetered
groundwater
extraction
climate-environment
global-unspecified
whether
philosophy-ethics
prevent
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
Standard staples like wheat and rice suffer severe yield drop-offs during extreme spring heat spikes across Northern India and Pakistan, threatening national staple supply reserves.
climate-environment
asia
india
haven
commercialized
heat-tolerant
crop
cultivars
capable
enduring
prolonged
heatwaves
south
protected
wildlife
global-unspecified
heat
reserves
Rising sea surface temperatures trigger massive coral bleaching, threatening marine biodiversity hot-spots that support the livelihoods of millions of coastal residents.
climate-environment
asia
indonesia
biodiversity
coral
bleaching
marine
haven
arrested
events
caused
localized
heatwaves
triangle
near
protecting
coastal
global-unspecified
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Resistant malaria strains have emerged in certain regions and are gradually spreading, threatening to undermine decades of progress against the disease. Coordinated, faster response to contain resistance before it spreads further remains incomplete.
health-biology
global-unspecified
malaria
haven
solved
prevent
spread
drug-resistant
parasites
borders
resistant
strains
whether
philosophy-ethics
way
mathematics-logic
resolved
determine
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
The same virus or bacteria can cause mild illness in most people while triggering severe, sometimes life-threatening complications in others, and we still don't fully understand why. This gap makes predicting and preventing severe outcomes difficult.
health-biology
global-unspecified
people
severe
complications
haven
solved
some
develop
common
infections
recover
whether
philosophy-ethics
resolved
mathematics-logic
determine
know
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Journalists investigating government wrongdoing in many countries face harassment, legal threats, or violence with limited international protection or recourse. Stronger, coordinated protections remain largely aspirational rather than actively enforced.
society-governance
global-unspecified
international
journalists
there
consistent
mechanism
protecting
report
corruption
own
governments
whether
philosophy-ethics
determine
resolved
way
have
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
False claims about candidates or voting processes can spread across social media faster than officials can issue corrections, especially close to election day. This growing speed gap threatens the integrity of public understanding during critical voting periods.
society-governance
global-unspecified
during
election
officials
disinformation
campaigns
elections
outpacing
ability
respond
voting
whether
philosophy-ethics
fiscal
austerity
technology-computing
haven