Jason deCaires Taylor installs hundreds of life-sized sculptures under the sea. The sculptures, made from pH-neutral concrete, act as an artificial reef that encourages the growth of marine life. | Credit: Jason deCaires Taylor

Taylor's works are meant to "explore the intricate relationships that exist between art and environment." As you can see here, they do attract sea life. | Credit: Jason deCaires Taylor

Sushi chef Bun Lai created Kiribati Sashimi to draw attention to the perilous state of Kiribati, a Pacific island nation that could be swallowed up by rising sea levels. The sashimi incorporates Kiribati sea salt. In this photo, it's displayed on the engine of a V8 SUV. | Credit: Jean Paul Vellotti

Stephen Shaheen's "Metrobench" was constructed from 5,000 New York City Metrocards he got with some help from Craigslist. "There is something very personal about handling so many small belongings that were once riding around in peoples’ pockets," he says. "There are untold personal stories in that inconspicuous, flimsy plastic." | Credit: Stephen Shaheen

Alicia Escott makes life-sized drawings on plastic of "animals that have been displaced from their natural habitats but which signify, brand or otherwise package those places." In this case, grizzly bears signify her home state of California even though the last one in the state was killed off decades ago. | Credit: Alicia Escott

Brazilian artist Nele Azevedo creates hundreds or even thousands of tiny figures out of ice and places them in public squares around the world. The little men are slowly worn down by the sun. | Credit: Christopher Jonassen

Mariele Neudecker's "400 Thousand Generations" features water and salt in spherical tanks, shifting over time. She says her work is about "the relationship between humans and nature." This piece was featured in the London’s Royal Academy of Arts' "Earth: Art of a Changing World" exhibit during the Copenhagen climate talks. | Credit: Mariele Neudecker

People from the Delta del Ebro region in Spain joined together under the direction of Jorge Rodriguez-Gerada to form a giant depiction of a girl named Gal•la, bringing attention to how future generations will pay the price for climate change. "Gal•la" was part of the 350 EARTH project by 350.org, which had satellites photograph large public art installations around the planet. | Credit: Jorge Rodriguez-Gerada

Another installation in the 350 EARTH project, "Climate Elephant" by Daniel Dancer had 3,000 young people and teachers in New Delhi, India, form an enormous elephant threatened by rising seas -- a plea to world leaders not to ignore climate change, the "elephant in the room." | Credit: Daniel Dancer

Christos Lamprianidis, a photographer from northwest Greece, won first place in the 2010 CoolClimate Art Contest with "No Pollution Please." He says, "Through my love for photography I tried to show how much I love my country and how desperately all those who love and respect it want those responsible to do something." | Credit: Christos Lamprianidis

Artist Mike Thompson explains: "For the lamp to work one breaks the top off, dissolves the powder, and uses their own blood to power a simple light. By creating a lamp that can only be used once, the user must consider when light is needed the most, forcing them to rethink how wasteful they are with energy, and how precious it is." | Credit: Mike Thompson