Artist's climate change bombshell

Nestling in the corner of the Royal Academy, it is a warning of the dangers of climate change: an artwork that will self-destruct in 100 years.

The piece, 100 years by Kris Martin, 37, appears in a show dedicated to the impact of global warming. The golden globe contains a small explosive device and the mechanism inside will set this off.

Opening as world leaders gather in Copenhagen to thrash out a climate deal, the show features artists including Tracey Emin, Antony Gormley, Mona Hatoum and Cornelia Parker.

Curator Kathleen Soriano said there was no risk to public safety from Martin's sculpture: "I've been told it's a bomb and our health and safety people have assessed it as a bomb - a stable bomb. It just sits very quietly looking rather beautiful, until you realise what it is and understand the malevolence that is hidden within it.

"It signifies the passing of time and the sense of a need to do something in the time that is left."

Earth - Art of a Changing World, sponsored by GlaxoSmithKline, opens on Thursday and runs until 31 January. Full-price admission is £7. www.royalacademy.org.uk/earth