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
Combination of high humidity and extreme ambient heat routinely exceeds human survivability thresholds during summer months, causing heatstroke and acute kidney injury.
health-biology
asia
qatar
public-health
extreme
haven
contained
public
health
impact
wet-bulb
temperatures
outdoor
construction
heat
society-governance
climate-environment
systems
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
High electricity costs lead small-scale leather and textile processors to bypass treatment systems, dumping heavy metals directly into river basins.
climate-environment
asia
pakistan
treatment
systems
haven
developed
energy-efficient
industrial
wastewater
small
medium-scale
dyeing
society-governance
technology-computing
global-unspecified
mathematics-logic
philosophy-ethics
Rapid un-sewered urban expansion relies on pit latrines and unlined septic systems, which seep pathogens directly into the urban water table.
climate-environment
asia
indonesia
urban
unlined
septic
haven
halted
fecal
sludge
contamination
shallow
aquifers
systems
global-unspecified
african
water
cities
Up to 30% of rural water hand-pumps and piped schemes break within two years of installation and remain broken due to missing spare parts supply chains.
economics-resources
asia
cambodia
supply-chain
rural
water
haven
built
real-time
digital
monitoring
systems
community
taps
global-unspecified
climate-environment
real
time
Generational debt traps bind entire families to uncompensated labor in brick kilns and agriculture, enforced by informal moneylenders outside state oversight.
local-regional
asia
pakistan
labor
brick
kilns
haven
stopped
forced
debt-bonded
regional
rural
agricultural
society-governance
governance
economics-resources
systems
informal
Sidewalks, public buses, and government buildings across Asian cities overwhelmingly lack ramps, tactile paving, and elevators, excluding disabled citizens from public life.
society-governance
asia
thailand
public
haven
created
universally
accessible
infrastructure
persons
physical
mobility
impairments
global-unspecified
whether
systems
institutions
philosophy-ethics
Encroachment on natural urban drainage lakes leaves rainwater with nowhere to sink, causing severe flash flooding that shuts down entire economic centers.
economics-resources
asia
india
flash
urban
flooding
natural
haven
solved
catastrophic
caused
total
loss
climate-environment
global-unspecified
cities
systems
african
Narrow alleys prevent traditional fire trucks from entering slum communities, where electrical short circuits frequently ignite massive, uncontrolled fires.
economics-resources
asia
bangladesh
informal
fire
haven
secured
safety
infrastructure
densely
packed
urban
settlements
society-governance
systems
technology-computing
african
global-unspecified
The rapid adoption of electric rickshaws and scooters creates a massive wave of end-of-life batteries that are dumped in open landfills due to lack of local recycling facilities.
climate-environment
asia
india
recycling
batteries
electric
haven
built
scalable
infrastructure
spent
lithium-ion
two
global-unspecified
waste
systems
management
solved
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
Millions of pre-trial detainees languish in overcrowded prisons for years due to acute judicial vacancy rates and outdated paper-based case management.
society-governance
asia
pakistan
judicial
case
haven
sped
extreme
backlogs
lower-court
legal
systems
millions
technology-computing
global-unspecified
whether
grievance
philosophy-ethics
open
United Arab Emirates, Asia
Extensive glass and concrete urban architecture in Gulf cities amplifies localized heat, driving unsustainable peak air conditioning power demand.
climate-environment
asia
united-arab-emirates
urban
heat
cities
haven
prevented
islands
accelerating
cooling
energy
consumption
global-unspecified
african
water
systems
Artisanal gold miners use liquid mercury to extract gold, discharging toxic heavy metals into river systems and causing severe neurological damage.
mathematics-logic
asia
indonesia
gold
mercury
artisanal
haven
eliminated
exposure
informal
mining
communities
miners
climate-environment
global-unspecified
way
philosophy-ethics
whether
A vast majority of ocean plastic originates from major river systems; current cleanup solutions lack capacity to filter heavy river flows during monsoons.
climate-environment
asia
thailand
river
ocean
systems
plastic
haven
deployed
efficient
cleaning
capture
pollution
society-governance
solutions
technology-computing
mathematics-logic
real
Fishing vessels operating far offshore remain hidden from labor inspectors, leading to severe physical abuse and human rights violations of migrant crews.
society-governance
asia
taiwan
labor
rights
fishing
crews
haven
created
transparent
auditing
systems
deep-sea
governance
economics-resources
health-biology
global-unspecified
exclusion
First-time digital payment users in rural areas are highly vulnerable to social engineering scams, causing severe sudden financial losses.
technology-computing
asia
india
digital
users
payment
haven
built
effective
fraud
protection
systems
low-literacy
society-governance
global-unspecified
creating
african
whether
Commercial seaweed farming faces high initial equipment costs and fragile processing supply chains, delaying its potential for carbon sequestration.
climate-environment
asia
south-korea
supply-chain
seaweed
haven
scaled
aquaculture
alternative
protein
source
ocean
de-acidification
tool
economics-resources
global-unspecified
supply
systems
As young generations move to cities, historic mountain farming terraces are abandoned, leading to unchecked soil erosion and landslides.
social-civic-problems
asia
philippines
farming
haven
curbed
destruction
ancient
terrace
systems
due
rural-to-urban
youth
climate-environment
migration
global-unspecified
economics-resources
society-governance
Park rangers cannot patrol vast rainforest expanses on foot; acoustic detection networks for gunshots and chainsaws remain too expensive for wide deployment.
climate-environment
asia
malaysia
acoustic
haven
curbed
illegal
wildlife
poaching
autonomous
real-time
sensors
remote
economics-resources
real
time
systems
warning