LARGE scale and thought-provoking works of art have been springing up in Cornwall as the G7 summit draws closer.

With the eyes of the world on the county, especially its westernmost coastline, artists wanting to convey an environmental message have found ways to grab attention.

At Hayle Towans, a giant Mount-Rushmore-style sculpture of the G7 leaders’ heads, made entirely of discarded electronics, has appeared on the beach.

In Looe, the participants themselves, swathed in blue and immersed in the sea, became the work of art as the ’Protect the Earth’ group make their way from Plymouth to St Ives.

And at Gwithian Beach, a giant pair of footprints in the sand were “a call to action for the G7 leaders to not just talk the talk when it comes to carbon emissions, but to walk the walk”.

On one foot, is the average carbon emission for a person in the G7 countries (9.2 tonnes) while the other foot shows the global average (4.7 tonnes).

Creators Allbirds footwear say the image clearly shows that the G7 countries emit almost twice as much carbon as the rest of the world.

Meanwhile The huge sculpture of leaders’ heads, named Mount Recyclemore, aims to highlight the growing threat of e-waste on the planet as leaders of the world’s most advanced economies prepare to discuss how to tackle climate change and build a greener future.

Depicting world leaders including British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, American President Joe Biden and German Chancellor Angela Merkel, the e-waste sculpture has been created by leading UK re-commerce expert, musicMagpie, and artist and founder of the Mutoid Waste Company, Joe Rush, alongside sculptor Alex Wreckage.

The arresting installation has been erected following research showing that the G7 nations alone produce almost 15.9 million tonnes of e-waste a year, with the US (6.9m), Japan (2.6m), Germany (1.6m) and UK (1.6m) being the worst offenders.

The UN estimates that the current 53 million tonnes of e-waste generated annually worldwide will more than double by 2050, making it the fastest growing waste stream in the world.

Despite this growing environmental issue, musicMagpie’s own research has found that an alarming four in five Brits do not know what e-waste is. When given the definition of e-waste, nearly a third (31%) didn’t believe it damaged the environment or were unsure, while 45% weren’t aware it impacted climate change.

Steve Oliver, founder and CEO, at musicMagpie, said: “E-waste is a growing problem worldwide and its impact on the environment is significant. If sent to landfills, e-waste can leak harmful chemicals into the soil and water or if incinerated, fumes release chemicals into the air, contributing to global warming. Not only this, but everything from our phones to our laptops rely heavily on precious materials to operate, which are not only limited resources, but also directly impact climate change when being extracted from the earth.

“We need to better educate and empower people to make changes today. People can support a more sustainable, circular economy, by doing something as simple as trading in or recycling their tech, which will extend the life of those devices and their parts.

For more information and how to donate head to https://www.musicmagpie.co.uk/mountrecyclemore