President-elect Joe Biden with vice President-elect Kamala Harris (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)

Unblocking US veto on next WTO chief 'an easy short-term win' for Biden. With the incoming Biden administration seeking to restore multilateral relations, economists argue that reversing the US veto on the appointment of Nigerian finance minister Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala should be top of the agenda.

EU rules promise to reshape the opaque world of sustainable investment. Landmark regulations taking effect in March will force asset managers to up their game when it comes to disclosing environmental and social governance (ESG) risks in their portfolios. But data gaps may hinder progress.

Allianz weighs dropping assets in climate push. Europe's largest insurer may cut investments in stocks and bonds issued by emissions-intensive companies as the company steers away from businesses that foment global warming.

An image taken from WeGaw's DeFROST platform, which offers real-time snow monitoring data from space.

Swiss start-ups join forces to boost hydropower generation. Snow forecasting data specialists WeGaw and Lausanne-based hydrology experts Hydrique Ingénieurs will combine their expertise to better predict the volume of water available for hydropower generation in snow prone areas. In a joint statement, the companies said the improved data modelling will help make hydropower "a more profitable option while ensuring sustainable use of water resources".

19 January | The World Economic Forum’s Global Risks Report 2021. The Forum is holding a live session on Tuesday morning at 10 am to present the launch of its annual report on the biggest threats facing global prosperity.

28 January | Accelerate, Geneva 2030 Ecosystem This online event will bring together Geneva-based actors for the launch of a new collaborative strategy for advancing the sustainable development goals (SDGs).

19 January | Cotton Sustainability Digital Series. Based in Geneva, the Better Cotton Initiative's monthly online series explores how to create a more sustainable future for cotton. This first session will feature speakers from Futerra and Yoox Net-a-Porter Group.

Sustainable bond sales hit an all-time high. The issuance of bonds used to fund sustainable finance projects reached $544.3bn in 2020, more than double the previous year's total, according to data from Refinitiv. The Covid-19 pandemic has helped drive investment into recovery efforts as well as other areas such as the environment and addressing inequality.