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
A persistent gap exists in realizing practical, scalable solutions for architectural innovations that make high-performance buildings affordable for low-income households. Scientific understanding, engineering readiness and institutional capacity remain insufficient to translate promising concepts into durable impact under real-world constraints of cost, skills and governance.
society-governance
africa
mozambique
architectural
innovations
make
high-performance
buildings
affordable
low-income
households
field-ready
systems
solutions
methods
scalable
designs
ensuring
open
Solomon Islands, Oceania
The absence of robust, context-adapted solutions for designs for digital identity systems that protect privacy while enabling service access creates cascading risks across interconnected human and natural systems. Key missing elements include durable performance, low lifetime cost, and governance arrangements capable of sustaining impact beyond pilot stages.
society-governance
oceania
solomon-islands
enabling
systems
robust
designs
digital
identity
protect
privacy
while
service
solutions
climate-environment
technology-computing
methods
Urban drainage infrastructure in Yemen was designed for historical rainfall patterns and now floods regularly under intensified storms, with no funded plan for systemic upgrade.
climate-environment
asia
yemen
urban
drainage
rainfall
adapting
systems
increasingly
intense
infrastructure
was
society-governance
cities
african
A persistent gap exists in realizing practical, scalable solutions for real-time monitoring systems for tracking the recovery of ecosystems after restoration interventions. Scientific understanding, engineering readiness and institutional capacity remain insufficient to translate promising concepts into durable impact under real-world constraints of cost, skills and governance.
society-governance
europe
poland
systems
real-time
monitoring
tracking
recovery
ecosystems
restoration
interventions
field-ready
persistent
solutions
climate-environment
methods
ensuring
governance
Achieving institutional arrangements that reduce the risk of catastrophic accidents involving advanced technologies at meaningful scale demands simultaneous progress in fundamental research, engineering integration and socio-technical systems that work for low- and middle-income settings. Existing efforts remain fragmented relative to the magnitude of the challenge.
society-governance
africa
ethiopia
institutional
arrangements
reduce
risk
catastrophic
accidents
involving
advanced
technologies
scalable
economics-resources
systems
climate-environment
solutions
designs
open
Brazil, South America
Land ownership records in Brazil remain largely paper-based and inconsistently maintained, fueling disputes, fraud, and insecurity of tenure that discourage long-term investment.
society-governance
south-america
brazil
land
disputes
digitizing
title
registries
reduce
ownership
records
remain
fraud
global-unspecified
communities
Current approaches to institutional designs that improve the effectiveness of multi-level climate governance either underperform under variable field conditions or generate externalities that undermine long-term sustainability and equity. Closing the gap requires coordinated advances in science, systems design and enabling institutions.
society-governance
africa
zambia
institutional
designs
improve
effectiveness
multi-level
climate
governance
development
current
approaches
systems
climate-environment
enabling
under
solutions
Current approaches to technologies for the safe and efficient recycling of advanced battery chemistries either underperform under variable field conditions or generate externalities that undermine long-term sustainability and equity. Closing the gap requires coordinated advances in science, systems design and enabling institutions.
society-governance
oceania
australia
technologies
safe
efficient
recycling
advanced
battery
chemistries
integrated
pathways
current
systems
climate-environment
enabling
approaches
solutions
open
United Kingdom, Europe
Achieving mechanisms ensuring that benefits of advanced AI are widely shared rather than concentrated at meaningful scale demands simultaneous progress in fundamental research, engineering integration and socio-technical systems that work for low- and middle-income settings. Existing efforts remain fragmented relative to the magnitude of the challenge.
economics-resources
europe
united-kingdom
mechanisms
ensuring
benefits
advanced
widely
shared
rather
concentrated
development
achieving
systems
climate-environment
society-governance
solutions
governance
open
Colombia, South America
The absence of robust, context-adapted solutions for methods for quantifying the biodiversity and carbon co-benefits of different restoration approaches creates cascading risks across interconnected human and natural systems. Key missing elements include durable performance, low lifetime cost, and governance arrangements capable of sustaining impact beyond pilot stages.
climate-environment
south-america
colombia
biodiversity
methods
quantifying
carbon
co-benefits
different
restoration
approaches
overcoming
barriers
society-governance
systems
solutions
enabling
robust
open
Honduras, North America
Current approaches to solutions for providing reliable and affordable energy access in displacement and refugee settings either underperform under variable field conditions or generate externalities that undermine long-term sustainability and equity. Closing the gap requires coordinated advances in science, systems design and enabling institutions.
society-governance
north-america
honduras
solutions
providing
reliable
affordable
energy
access
displacement
refugee
settings
scalable
systems
climate-environment
enabling
designs
methods
Achieving interventions that reliably increase vaccine confidence without polarizing communities at meaningful scale demands simultaneous progress in fundamental research, engineering integration and socio-technical systems that work for low- and middle-income settings. Existing efforts remain fragmented relative to the magnitude of the challenge.
health-biology
asia
nepal
interventions
reliably
increase
vaccine
confidence
polarizing
communities
robust
methods
enabling
economics-resources
climate-environment
systems
society-governance
solutions
A persistent gap exists in realizing practical, scalable solutions for governance of dual-use research that balances scientific freedom and catastrophic risk reduction. Scientific understanding, engineering readiness and institutional capacity remain insufficient to translate promising concepts into durable impact under real-world constraints of cost, skills and governance.
society-governance
africa
rwanda
governance
scientific
dual-use
research
balances
freedom
catastrophic
risk
reduction
overcoming
solutions
systems
methods
scalable
ensuring
A persistent gap exists in realizing practical, scalable solutions for galactic cosmic ray shielding without prohibitive mass penalties. Scientific understanding, engineering readiness and institutional capacity remain insufficient to translate promising concepts into durable impact under real-world constraints of cost, skills and governance.
society-governance
africa
egypt
solutions
galactic
cosmic
ray
shielding
prohibitive
mass
penalties
systemic
addressing
systems
scalable
methods
governance
practical
open
Chile, South America
Achieving affordable and scalable solutions for safe sanitation in dense urban informal settlements at meaningful scale demands simultaneous progress in fundamental research, engineering integration and socio-technical systems that work for low- and middle-income settings. Existing efforts remain fragmented relative to the magnitude of the challenge.
economics-resources
south-america
chile
affordable
scalable
solutions
safe
sanitation
dense
urban
informal
settlements
overcoming
society-governance
systems
climate-environment
methods
open
Chile, South America
Long-term anxiety and depression tied to job insecurity and informal labor in Chile are poorly quantified, making it difficult for policymakers to justify investment in preventive mental health infrastructure.
society-governance
south-america
chile
mental-health
mental
health
measuring
impact
chronic
economic
precarity
long-term
anxiety
health-biology
global-unspecified
african
remains
access
Mangrove forests along Australia's coastline have been cleared for aquaculture and development, and restoration efforts struggle with low seedling survival rates and unclear land tenure over tidal zones.
climate-environment
oceania
australia
mangrove
along
restoring
degraded
ecosystems
coast
forests
coastline
have
global-unspecified
philosophy-ethics
whether
haven
determine
A persistent gap exists in realizing practical, scalable solutions for microbiome restoration after repeated antibiotic exposure in children. Scientific understanding, engineering readiness and institutional capacity remain insufficient to translate promising concepts into durable impact under real-world constraints of cost, skills and governance.
society-governance
asia
pakistan
microbiome
restoration
repeated
antibiotic
exposure
children
field-ready
systems
persistent
gap
solutions
methods
scalable
ensuring
governance
open
Papua New Guinea, Oceania
Achieving designs for public spaces that promote social connection and mental well-being in dense cities at meaningful scale demands simultaneous progress in fundamental research, engineering integration and socio-technical systems that work for low- and middle-income settings. Existing efforts remain fragmented relative to the magnitude of the challenge.
science-space
oceania
papua-new-guinea
designs
public
spaces
promote
social
connection
mental
well-being
dense
cities
economics-resources
climate-environment
systems
society-governance
solutions
A persistent gap exists in realizing practical, scalable solutions for governance frameworks for managing the risks and opportunities of advanced human enhancement. Scientific understanding, engineering readiness and institutional capacity remain insufficient to translate promising concepts into durable impact under real-world constraints of cost, skills and governance.
society-governance
europe
greece
governance
solutions
frameworks
managing
risks
opportunities
advanced
human
enhancement
systemic
systems
methods
scalable
ensuring
enabling
