Tim Stephens
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proftimstephens.bsky.social
Tim Stephens
@proftimstephens.bsky.social
7.6K followers 8.2K following 1.4K posts

Professor of International Law, University of Sydney Law School.

Councillor, Inner West Council, Sydney, 2021-2024.

www.sydney.edu.au/law/about/our-people/academic-staff/tim-stephens.html

orcid.org/0000-0001-9678-2227

Born at 331 ppm CO2 .. more

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Tim Stephens is Professor of International Law at the University of Sydney and Fellow of the Australian Academy of Law. Stephens' main areas of research are the international law of the sea and international environmental law. .. more

Environmental science 40%
Political science 18%
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proftimstephens.bsky.social
Tim Stephens @proftimstephens.bsky.social · Nov 12
Our edited collection on 'Geopolitical Change and the Antarctic Treaty System' will be out in January 2025.

A big thanks to co-editors Shirley Scott and Jeff McGee and to the contributors for making this project possible.

link.springer.com/book/9789819...
Geopolitical Change and the Antarctic Treaty System
This book explores all aspects of geopolitical considerations between key states of the Antarctica Treaty System (ATS) and lessons that can be gained.
link.springer.com

proftimstephens.bsky.social
Tim Stephens @proftimstephens.bsky.social · 2h
“To anybody still using X: sexual abuse content is the final straw, it’s time to leave.”

www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
To anybody still using X: sexual abuse content is the final straw, it’s time to leave | Marie Le Conte
It was hard for me to quit Elon Musk’s poisoned platform, but I urge others to do the same, especially in light of Grok’s imagery of women and children, says journalist Marie Le Conte
www.theguardian.com

proftimstephens.bsky.social
Tim Stephens @proftimstephens.bsky.social · 2h
“‘It’s embarrassing’: riders say time is up for fossil fuel sponsorship of heat-affected Tour Down Under.”

www.theguardian.com/sport/2026/j...
‘It’s embarrassing’: riders say time is up for fossil fuel sponsorship of heat-affected Tour Down Under
Cyclists prepare for Australia’s big race by training in extreme temperatures – and they have noticed a contradiction in the relationship with Santos
www.theguardian.com

Reposted by Tim Stephens, Karen O’Leary

roycerk2.bsky.social
Royce Kurmelovs @roycerk2.bsky.social · 4h
Extreme heat training has now become standard for cyclists heading into big races in hot climates, and the advance of climate change is forcing a quiet, uneasy confrontation with its relationship to fossil fuels ahead of this year's Tour Down Under.

New from me on The Guardian:
‘It’s embarrassing’: riders say time is up for fossil fuel sponsorship of heat-affected Tour Down Under
Cyclists prepare for Australia’s big race by training in extreme temperatures – and they’ve noticed a contradiction in the relationship with Santos
www.theguardian.com

Reposted by Steve Peers, Laurent Pech, Aaron Sojourner , and 1 more

lujan.senate.gov
Senator Ben Ray Luján @lujan.senate.gov · 5h
X’s Grok AI tool is being used to generate nonconsensual sexualized images of women and children. This is unacceptable. @wyden.senate.gov, @markey.senate.gov, and I are demanding that Apple and Google remove X and Grok from their app stores until Elon Musk addresses these heinous violations.
Senators urged Apple and Google to remove X and Grok from app stores over sexual deepfakes
“Turning a blind eye to X’s egregious behavior would make a mockery of your moderation practices,” three Democratic senators wrote to Apple’s and Google’s CEOs.
www.nbcnews.com

Reposted by Tim Stephens

jackdashby.bsky.social
Jack Ashby @jackdashby.bsky.social · 15h
This is an exceptional book about an exceptional story.
Tongerlongeter led the most significant resistance against British invasion in Australia, before leading #Tasmania's exiled community. The campaign he championed then influenced British policy towards Indigenous peoples across the Empire.
The cover of "Tongerlongeter: First Nations leader & Tasmanian war hero" by Henry Reynolds and Nicholas Clements

proftimstephens.bsky.social
Tim Stephens @proftimstephens.bsky.social · 16h
Am only here. Can’t in good conscience support the other place.

proftimstephens.bsky.social
Tim Stephens @proftimstephens.bsky.social · 21h
Under Trump, the US is a wholly broken country.

Reposted by Anne Applebaum, Stephen M. Walt, Kori Schake , and 86 more

federalreserve.gov
Federal Reserve @federalreserve.gov · 22h
Video message from Federal Reserve Chair Jerome H. Powell:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=KckG...
www.federalreserve.gov/newsevents/s...
Statement by Federal Reserve Chair Jerome H. Powell
YouTube video by Federal Reserve
www.youtube.com

Reposted by Naomi Priest, Tim Stephens, Karen O’Leary

rachelwithers.bsky.social
Rachel Withers @rachelwithers.bsky.social · 23h
On Saturday, an imam and his wife were allegedly victims of a violent hate crime — forced off the road by another car, with attackers then getting out to assault the imam/threaten his wife.

ANIC put out a statement on Sunday arvo, noting rising islamophobia.

The media is just getting to it now.

Reposted by Brian J. Enquist, David Johnson, Tim Stephens

zacklabe.com
Zack Labe @zacklabe.com · 1d
Carbon dioxide (CO₂) averaged about 427 ppm in December 2025

10 years ago December averaged about 402 ppm

Data available at gml.noaa.gov/ccgg/trends/
Red line graph time series of monthly carbon dioxide abundance from January 1959 through December 2025. There is a seasonal cycle and long-term increasing trend. Current levels of CO2 are at 427 ppm. This is the Keeling Curve graph. A line for CO2 10 years ago is also annotated.

Reposted by Tim Stephens

eliothiggins.bsky.social
Eliot Higgins @eliothiggins.bsky.social · 1d
‘Add blood, forced smile’: how Grok’s nudification tool went viral www.theguardian.com/news/ng-inte...
‘Add blood, forced smile’: how Grok’s nudification tool went viral
The ‘put her in a bikini’ trend rapidly evolved into hundreds of thousands of requests to strip clothes from photos of women, horrifying those targeted
www.theguardian.com

Reposted by Joanna Bryson, Rebecca Solnit, Dorothy Bishop , and 19 more

chrismurphyct.bsky.social
Chris Murphy @chrismurphyct.bsky.social · 1d
I can't believe I'm posting this video - but we actually have to have a conversation about the real world implications of America going to war over Greenland.

Let me walk you through it. It doesn't turn out well for us.

proftimstephens.bsky.social
Tim Stephens @proftimstephens.bsky.social · 1d
'Chris Bowen wants to use his stint as the world’s chief climate negotiator to lobby Saudi Arabia and others to stop resisting progress at UN summits, heeding calls for a “hard-nosed” approach in dealing with big emitters obstructing the transition.'

www.theguardian.com/environment/...
Australia’s Cop31 chief negotiator plans to lobby petrostates on fossil fuel phaseout
Exclusive: Chris Bowen says key to next UN climate summit will be ‘engagement, engagement, engagement’ with countries such as Saudi Arabia
www.theguardian.com

Reposted by Tim Stephens, Nathan P. Kalmoe

markshawtoronto.bsky.social
Mark Shaw @markshawtoronto.bsky.social · 1d
The UK is in talks with Canada and Australia for a coordinated response to X, including a possible ban. #canpoli
Starmer rallies international support to take on Musk
Tech billionaire says threat to ban social media site over sexualised AI images is ‘censorship’
www.telegraph.co.uk

Reposted by Tim Stephens

thevenerablebede.bsky.social
Bede Kelleher @thevenerablebede.bsky.social · 2d
Finally nuked the Twitter account. An absolute cesspit with too few redeeming people left to make it worthwhile.

Reposted by John Mullahy, Tim Stephens

timothysnyder.bsky.social
Timothy Snyder @timothysnyder.bsky.social · 2d
If Trump saw a globe rather than a Mercator projection he might notice that Greenland is actually smaller than Algeria.

Reposted by Tim Stephens

rbreich.bsky.social
Robert Reich @rbreich.bsky.social · 2d
"Every gun that is made, every warship launched, every rocket fired signifies, in the final sense, a theft from those who hunger and are not fed, those who are cold and are not clothed."

-Dwight D. Eisenhower, 1953

proftimstephens.bsky.social
Tim Stephens @proftimstephens.bsky.social · 2d
“Newly released cabinet papers, prepared by the federal public service and experts at the Bureau of Meteorology, were largely ignored by the Howard government.”

www.smh.com.au/politics/fed...
Confidential advice undercooked climate change to Howard government
Cabinet briefings in 2005 warned of climate change, but did not anticipate the scale and severity of the impacts now playing out.
www.smh.com.au

Reposted by Stefan Rahmstorf, John De Vos, Du Toit , and 6 more

zacklabe.com
Zack Labe @zacklabe.com · 2d
2025 was the hottest year on record for ocean heat content. Unfortunately, we now say this every year. 🥹

"In addition to setting a new record in 2025, the global
ocean continues to show sustained and intensified warming."

+ #OpenAccess Study: doi.org/10.1007/s003...
+ Data: www.ocean.iap.ac.cn
Bar graph showing global ocean heat content change in the upper 2000 m from the late 1950s through 2025. There is a long-term warming in the time series, which is using IAP/CAS data.

Reposted by W. Andy Knight, W Grant, Tim Stephens , and 1 more

thebulwark.com
The Bulwark @thebulwark.com · 2d
"The French president said a couple days ago, 'America might not be our ally anymore.' You've heard the German Chancellor say something similar."

Anne Applebaum tells Tim Miller that European governments are starting to hedge against American rhetoric and actions.

Reposted by Tim Stephens, Steven H. Seggie

adamjschwarz.bsky.social
Adam Schwarz @adamjschwarz.bsky.social · 2d
It’s still wild that “orange man invades countries, burns oil, destroys planet” isn’t a cartoon plot but an actual real-life dude we all have to deal with.

Reposted by Diane Coyle, Colin F. Camerer, Paul Glasziou , and 32 more

ediparolev.bsky.social
Justin @ediparolev.bsky.social · 2d
“Uruguay did what most nations still call impossible: it built a power grid that runs almost entirely on renewables—at half the cost of fossil fuels. The physicist who led that transformation says the same playbook could work anywhere—if governments have the courage to change the rules.”
Uruguay’s Renewable Charge: A Small Nation, A Big Lesson For The World
Uruguay built a power grid that runs 99% on renewables—at half the cost of fossil fuels. Here’s how its bold energy overhaul became a global model.
www.forbes.com

Reposted by Richard S.J. Tol, Ian Hall, Michael D. McDonald , and 1 more

reuters.com
Reuters @reuters.com · 2d
Indonesia temporarily blocks access to Grok over sexualised images reut.rs/4jvw0JI
Indonesia temporarily blocks access to Grok over sexualised images
Indonesia temporarily blocked Elon Musk's Grok chatbot on Saturday due to the risk of AI-generated pornographic content, becoming the first country to deny access to the AI tool.
reut.rs

proftimstephens.bsky.social
Tim Stephens @proftimstephens.bsky.social · 2d
“Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has slammed Elon Musk’s social media platform X for failing to meet community standards, declaring its artificial intelligence chatbot Grok is enabling abhorrent sexual images without consent of the people depicted.”

www.smh.com.au/politics/fed...
‘Abhorrent’: PM slams Elon Musk’s X over sexually explicit images
As the wave of AI generated sexual material grows, international leaders are demanding action by tech companies to stop images generated without consent.
www.smh.com.au

proftimstephens.bsky.social
Tim Stephens @proftimstephens.bsky.social · 2d
“Richest 1% took 10 days while wealthiest 0.1% needed just three days to exhaust annual carbon budget.”

Climate change is eminently solvable if the wealthiest (ie most people in the west) curbed their extravagance.

www.theguardian.com/environment/...
World’s richest 1% have already used fair share of emissions for 2026, says Oxfam
Richest 1% took 10 days while wealthiest 0.1% needed just three days to exhaust annual carbon budget, study shows
www.theguardian.com

Reposted by Tim Stephens, Peter Jacobs

zacklabe.com
Zack Labe @zacklabe.com · 2d
Last year was obviously the warmest on record for the North Pacific Ocean...

This graph shows the average for a band across the midlatitudes for every year from 1854-2025 using @noaa.gov ERSSTv5 data.
Green line graph time series of average sea surface temperature anomalies for each year from 1854 through 2025 for only the midlatitude region of the North Pacific Ocean. There is large interannual variability, but an overall long-term increasing trend. Anomalies are computed relative to a 1981-2010 baseline. 2025 is a record high.

Reposted by Stacy D. VanDeveer, Tim Stephens

zacklabe.com
Zack Labe @zacklabe.com · 2d
🚨 2025 observed the lowest #Arctic sea-ice extent AND the lowest sea-ice volume for their yearly average values. This comes as no surprise to me as the polar environment continues to change. The consequences are far-reaching.

More graphics & stats already on my website: zacklabe.com/arctic-sea-i...

Reposted by David R. Miller, Tim Stephens, David Darmofal

billkristolbulwark.bsky.social
Bill Kristol @billkristolbulwark.bsky.social · 2d
The Kennedy Center with no more operas but with the "premiere" of "Melania: The Movie" kind of says it all.

proftimstephens.bsky.social
Tim Stephens @proftimstephens.bsky.social · 3d
Nobel Peace prizes are non-transferable so as to prevent scalping.
thetnholler.bsky.social The Tennessee Holler @thetnholler.bsky.social · 3d
Trump tells Hannity he will accept Machado’s Nobel Prize when she gives it to him.

So embarrassing.

Reposted by Tim Stephens

financialtimes.com
Financial Times @financialtimes.com · 3d
How Elon Musk’s Grok spread sexual deepfakes and child exploitation images ft.trib.al/aX8bZdy
How Elon Musk’s Grok spread sexual deepfakes and child exploitation images
Billionaire’s xAI start-up lacks adequate safeguards, say experts, but many AI models are trained on troubling material
ft.trib.al