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
oxygen supplies failing in crises remains one of the most urgent challenges of our time. Systems currently in place are inadequate for the scale and complexity of the problem. A successful approach must work where resources are scarcest and demonstrate clear, measurable results. It should identify possible harms, respect local agency, and show how the solution can be maintained and expanded by the communities it is meant to serve.
oxygen
supplies
failing
crises
strengthening
local-regional
Future progress on human development and planetary health depends on solving citizen assemblies remaining few. Conventional approaches have proven insufficient. The required intervention must integrate community knowledge, data and appropriate technology while remaining affordable, privacy-preserving and operable with minimal external support. Strong solutions will articulate measurable impact metrics, risk mitigation strategies, and a plan for sustained operation by local actors after the pilot phase.
remaining
solutions
citizen
assemblies
few
social-civic-problems
Addressing nuclear families facing pressure 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.
nuclear
families
facing
pressure
2030
mathematics-logic
Future progress on human development and planetary health depends on solving children being taken from their families. Conventional approaches have proven insufficient. The required intervention must integrate community knowledge, data and appropriate technology while remaining affordable, privacy-preserving and operable with minimal external support. Strong solutions will articulate measurable impact metrics, risk mitigation strategies, and a plan for sustained operation by local actors after the pilot phase.
children
being
taken
families
establishing
social-civic-problems
people believing online lies remains one of the most urgent challenges of our time. Systems currently in place are inadequate for the scale and complexity of the problem. A successful approach must work where resources are scarcest and demonstrate clear, measurable results. It should identify possible harms, respect local agency, and show how the solution can be maintained and expanded by the communities it is meant to serve.
people
believing
online
lies
strengthening
local-regional
debt traps keeping families poor remains one of the most urgent challenges of our time. Systems currently in place are inadequate for the scale and complexity of the problem. A successful approach must work where resources are scarcest and demonstrate clear, measurable results. It should identify possible harms, respect local agency, and show how the solution can be maintained and expanded by the communities it is meant to serve.
systems
debt
traps
keeping
families
other
drug use destroying families remains one of the most urgent challenges of our time. Systems currently in place are inadequate for the scale and complexity of the problem. A successful approach must work where resources are scarcest and demonstrate clear, measurable results. It should identify possible harms, respect local agency, and show how the solution can be maintained and expanded by the communities it is meant to serve.
drug
use
destroying
families
establishing
other
Addressing university education priced beyond most families 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.
beyond
university
education
priced
families
mathematics-logic
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
housing that remains unaffordable for ordinary families remains one of the most urgent challenges of our time. Systems currently in place are inadequate for the scale and complexity of the problem. A successful approach must work where resources are scarcest and demonstrate clear, measurable results. It should identify possible harms, respect local agency, and show how the solution can be maintained and expanded by the communities it is meant to serve.
remains
housing
unaffordable
ordinary
families
social-civic-problems
Quantum sensors may detect hidden water, minerals, leaks, tunnels, and structural anomalies, but their cost, calibration, and interpretation remain barriers. The open problem is converting laboratory sensitivity into dependable field services. The solution must work with limited capital, intermittent services, and local maintenance capacity. The research opportunity is to define measurable success criteria, test the approach in realistic settings, identify failure modes, and create a pathway from prototype to accountable deployment.
economics-resources
asia
japan
quantum
deployment
sensor
underground
infrastructure
low-income
communities
services
sensors
may
technology-computing
climate-environment
society-governance
systems
science-space
open
United States, North America
Modern software often relies on long chains of interconnected code packages, and a single broken or malicious update deep in that chain can cascade into failures across countless unrelated projects. Making this system more resilient remains an unresolved structural issue.
technology-computing
north-america
united-states
software
single
broken
projects
build
dependency
management
systems
eliminate
risk
global-unspecified
whether
philosophy-ethics
mathematics-logic
haven
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
A huge share of global internet traffic between continents relies on a relatively small number of undersea cables, and damage to just one can disrupt connectivity for entire regions. Building enough redundancy to fully prevent this remains costly and incomplete.
health-biology
global-unspecified
fully
undersea
internet
cables
build
network
infrastructure
prevents
outages
damaged
whether
philosophy-ethics
mathematics-logic
haven
resolved
yet
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Cloud storage relies heavily on trusting individual companies to remain operational and reliable long-term, and if a provider fails or shuts down, users can lose access to their data. A truly provider-independent guarantee remains unbuilt.
society-governance
global-unspecified
cloud
storage
guarantee
data
remain
provider
build
systems
will
accessible
technology-computing
whether
philosophy-ethics
haven
mathematics-logic
climate-environment
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Many data centers rely on significant volumes of water to keep servers cool, straining local water supplies especially in drought-prone regions. Alternative cooling methods that don't compete with community water needs remain underdeveloped at scale.
climate-environment
global-unspecified
water
data
centers
don
cooling
yet
build
require
massive
amounts
whether
mathematics-logic
philosophy-ethics
society-governance
have
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
A few seconds of someone's voice is now enough to generate convincing fake audio of them saying anything, and current detection tools often fail to catch high-quality fakes in real time. This is already being used for financial scams targeting families and businesses.
economics-resources
global-unspecified
voice
being
stop
deepfake
cloning
convincingly
fraud
impersonation
few
seconds
whether
philosophy-ethics
way
prevent
resolved
fake
open
South America / Unspecified, South America
Agriculture, hydropower, and urban water supplies are increasingly affected by changing rainfall and heat patterns. Climate-risk modelling and adaptation investment platforms can help prioritise responses.
climate-environment
south-america
south-america-unspecified
climate-change
climate
change
intensifying
droughts
extreme
weather
south
america
agriculture
hydropower
cities
urban
water
heat
open
Europe / Unspecified, Europe
Changing rainfall patterns and heat waves strain agriculture and urban supplies. Basin-level modelling and demand-management platforms can help cities and farmers adapt.
climate-environment
europe
europe-unspecified
water-scarcity
water
scarcity
droughts
increasingly
affecting
southern
changing
rainfall
patterns
urban
cities
african
climate
global-unspecified
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Floods, droughts, and storms repeatedly erase assets for low-income families. Climate-resilient housing and micro-insurance products can help absorb shocks.
climate-environment
global-unspecified
shocks
climate
push
households
back
poverty
modest
gains
floods
droughts
economics-resources
products
income
against
community
scale
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Asset management relies on manual surveys. Remote sensing and digital twins can improve planning.
technology-computing
global-unspecified
data
infrastructure
condition
outdated
asset
management
relies
manual
surveys
remote
digital
african
systems
society-governance
urban
informal