World Solve

The problem of permafrost melting and releasing methane continues to affect hundreds of millions of people and undermines progress on multiple Sustainable Development Goals. Existing responses remain fragmented, under-resourced and poorly adapted to local contexts. A strong solution must operate effectively under severe constraints of skilled personnel, infrastructure, electricity and connectivity. It should define clear measurable outcomes, identify possible unintended harms, and demonstrate how the intervention can be sustained by local institutions long after initial funding ends.

Addressing methane leaking from farms and mines 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.

Flooded paddy fields release significant greenhouse gases, yet few affordable low-emission farming techniques have reached smallholders. Alternate wetting-and-drying irrigation methods need wider extension support.

Identifying traces of methane, ozone, and water vapor simultaneously on rocky extrasolar planets remains at the limit of current telescopes. Space-based starshades and high-contrast coronagraphs are needed to resolve atmospheric details.

Methane detected in Mars' atmosphere could indicate ongoing biological activity or sub-surface geological serpentinization. Isotopic measurement instruments with high sensitivity are needed to trace the true source.

Converting Mars' 95% CO2 atmosphere into plastics, methane, and industrial reagents requires complex catalysts that foul quickly. High-efficiency solid oxide electrolysis systems optimized for dirty ambient gas are needed.

Anerobic decomposition in flooded rice paddies is a massive source of global methane, but farmers lack incentives and technical training to adopt Alternate Wetting and Drying (AWD) techniques.

Most food waste in large cities still ends up in landfills producing methane, despite composting being a relatively simple, well-understood solution. Scaling this to city-wide adoption remains logistically unresolved in most places.

Raising cattle and other livestock produces a significant share of global methane emissions, yet meat remains a major part of diets worldwide. A lower-emission farming method that doesn't require giving up meat entirely remains unsolved.

Methane traps far more heat than carbon dioxide in the short term, yet nearly all climate technology focuses on capturing carbon dioxide instead. A cheap way to actively remove atmospheric methane could meaningfully slow near-term warming.

Vast amounts of carbon and methane are locked in frozen Arctic soil, and as it thaws, it could release gases faster than current climate models predict. Better prediction tools are needed to understand how much this will accelerate warming.

Many cities lack convenient composting systems, so a significant share of food waste that could be composted still ends up in landfills producing methane. Scaling accessible composting infrastructure remains an unresolved urban sustainability challenge.

Arctic wetlands store significant amounts of carbon that can be released as methane when they thaw, potentially creating a feedback loop that accelerates warming further. Preventing or slowing this release remains beyond current technological capability.

A large share of organic waste still ends up in landfills producing methane simply because industrial composting infrastructure isn't available in enough regions. Building this capacity out at the scale needed remains an unresolved waste management challenge.

Methane is a far more potent greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide in the short term, and much of it leaks unnoticed from pipelines and wells. Better detection and faster repairs could meaningfully slow near-term warming.

Organic waste makes up a large share of landfilled municipal waste in Papua New Guinea, generating methane emissions that could be avoided with accessible composting infrastructure.

Create low-cost continuous monitoring and repair systems for dispersed wells, pipelines, compressors, and storage sites that evade satellite and regulatory oversight.

Identify affordable feed, breeding, veterinary, and manure-management interventions that lower methane without reducing farmer income or animal health.

A persistent gap exists in realizing practical, scalable solutions for distributed methane leak detection and auto-mitigation systems. 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.

Despite recognition of its importance, reliable methods for biotechnologies converting methane and CO2 into high-value chemicals and proteins are still lacking. Progress is hindered by incomplete mechanistic knowledge, high capital and operational barriers, and the absence of deployment models suited to the contexts of greatest need.