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
open
South & Southeast Asia, Asia
Poor drainage infrastructure and unplanned urban growth in flood-prone areas worsen the damage each year. Predictive flood-modeling tools and resilient housing design could reduce displacement.
climate-environment
asia
south-southeast-asia
flooding
monsoon
rains
cyclones
displaces
millions
south
southeast
annually
urban
global-unspecified
african
cities
infrastructure
remains
open
South & Southeast Asia, Asia
Untreated factory effluent and sewage flow directly into major rivers, harming both ecosystems and communities that depend on them for drinking water. River-cleanup technology paired with stricter enforcement is needed.
climate-environment
asia
south-southeast-asia
rivers
industrial
pollution
has
severely
degraded
like
ganges
citarum
untreated
water
global-unspecified
philosophy-ethics
whether
urban
Open defecation persists in some regions despite large public sanitation campaigns, contributing to disease spread. Low-cost decentralized toilet and sludge-treatment systems could close remaining gaps.
health-biology
asia
south-asia
sanitation
coverage
remains
incomplete
rural
parts
south
open
defecation
global-unspecified
society-governance
public
systems
african
access
open
South & Southeast Asia, Asia
Remote and mountainous areas remain costly to connect to national grids, leaving villages without reliable power. Off-grid solar mini-grids tailored to difficult terrain could close this gap faster.
local-regional
asia
south-southeast-asia
rural
electrification
gaps
persist
parts
south
southeast
remote
mountainous
remains
access
african
global-unspecified
digital
infrastructure
open
South & Central Asia, Asia
Aging infrastructure and demand surges cause frequent power outages that disrupt businesses and daily life. Localized battery-backed microgrids could provide more resilient power in outage-prone regions.
climate-environment
asia
south-central-asia
grid
instability
blackouts
remain
common
parts
south
central
power
rural
global-unspecified
local-regional
african
Countries without domestic gas reserves face volatile energy costs tied to global supply disruptions. Diversifying into renewables and regional gas-sharing agreements could reduce this exposure.
local-regional
asia
gas
natural
import
dependency
leaves
several
asian
economies
vulnerable
price
global-unspecified
whether
african
philosophy-ethics
determine
climate-environment
Without reliable charging networks, EV adoption stalls in smaller cities and rural areas despite growing manufacturing capacity. Battery-swapping stations designed for two- and three-wheelers could accelerate rural EV adoption.
local-regional
asia
charging
cities
electric
vehicle
infrastructure
remains
sparse
outside
major
asian
rural
global-unspecified
african
climate-environment
urban
access
open
South & Central Asia, Asia
Melting glaciers and shifting rainfall patterns threaten the reliability of hydropower that many countries depend on, while upstream-downstream tensions complicate new dam projects. Diversified renewable portfolios could reduce over-reliance on hydropower alone.
climate-environment
asia
south-central-asia
hydropower
projects
mountainous
face
rising
climate
geopolitical
risks
melting
global-unspecified
institutional
arrangements
reduce
corruption
society-governance
Many factories use outdated, energy-intensive equipment, raising costs and emissions unnecessarily. Affordable energy-audit services and efficiency retrofitting financing could unlock significant savings.
climate-environment
asia
efficiency
industrial
energy
manufacturing
sector
remains
low
factories
outdated
global-unspecified
mathematics-logic
whether
philosophy-ethics
haven
high
affordable
Overcrowded classrooms, underpaid teachers, and pandemic-era learning loss have left millions behind grade level. Structured foundational literacy programs paired with teacher coaching apps have shown strong results.
social-civic-problems
asia
south-asia
learning
poverty
widespread
south
children
cannot
read
age
have
global-unspecified
low
access
african
philosophy-ethics
whether
open
South & Central Asia, Asia
Girls in some regions face early dropout due to safety concerns, marriage pressure, or lack of female teachers. Girls-only transport programs and female-teacher recruitment incentives can improve retention.
social-civic-problems
asia
south-central-asia
gender
gaps
education
persist
parts
south
central
girls
some
global-unspecified
african
remains
access
rural
Urban private schools vastly outperform rural public schools in resources and outcomes, deepening long-term inequality. Digital learning platforms optimized for low-bandwidth rural connections could help level the field.
technology-computing
asia
rural-urban
disparities
school
quality
remain
stark
schools
rural
urban
access
social-civic-problems
remains
african
digital
global-unspecified
economics-resources
Lack of trained teachers and computer labs keeps rural students from developing skills needed for tech careers. Mobile coding labs and free online curricula in local languages could expand access.
social-civic-problems
asia
coding
students
stem
education
remains
inaccessible
outside
major
asian
cities
access
global-unspecified
african
rural
low
africa
Overproduction of certain degree holders, like general arts graduates, leaves many educated youth unemployed or underemployed. Career-guidance platforms using labor-market data could steer students toward in-demand fields.
economics-resources
asia
youth
several
asian
countries
face
severe
mismatch
between
degrees
earned
global-unspecified
africa
remains
low
young
unemployment
open
South & Southeast Asia, Asia
Poverty forces families to send children to work instead of school, particularly in informal manufacturing and agriculture sectors. Conditional cash-transfer programs tied to school attendance have proven effective at reducing this.
economics-resources
asia
south-southeast-asia
school
children
child
labor
continues
keep
millions
asian
out
poverty
social-civic-problems
global-unspecified
education
girls
remain
Rapid expansion of universities has sometimes outpaced faculty quality and research infrastructure investment. Stronger accreditation systems and research-funding reform could improve academic standards.
social-civic-problems
asia
systems
quality
research
higher
education
parts
struggle
assurance
output
society-governance
technology-computing
climate-environment
economics-resources
global-unspecified
mathematics-logic
philosophy-ethics
open
South & Southeast Asia, Asia
Conflict-displaced populations, such as Rohingya refugees, frequently live for years without structured schooling options. Modular, portable classroom programs designed for refugee camps could restore learning continuity.
social-civic-problems
asia
south-southeast-asia
refugee
displaced
children
parts
often
lack
any
access
formal
global-unspecified
education
african
low
remains
As economies digitize quickly, many mid-career and older workers risk being left behind without basic digital skills training. Community-based digital literacy programs targeting adult learners could ease this transition.
social-civic-problems
asia
digital
literacy
older
workers
economies
among
rapidly
digitizing
remains
technology-computing
global-unspecified
african
access
economics-resources
low
Cultural norms and lack of documentation keep many women and rural residents outside the formal banking system. Mobile-money platforms designed with simplified KYC for underserved groups have proven effective elsewhere.
economics-resources
asia
women
rural
financial
inclusion
gaps
persist
populations
cultural
norms
access
african
global-unspecified
remains
digital
social-civic-problems
urban
open
South & Southeast Asia, Asia
Traditional banks avoid lending to businesses without physical assets to pledge, leaving many viable small enterprises unable to grow. Alternative credit scoring using transaction and mobile data could unlock lending.
economics-resources
asia
south-southeast-asia
lending
small
business
south
southeast
remains
constrained
collateral
requirements
mathematics-logic
might
local
actors
global-unspecified
africa
