A YORK MP is going vegan for Earth Day as new research suggests a dietary shift to veganism would prevent almost eight billion tonnes of CO2 emissions a year by 2050.

Rachael Maskell MP (York Central, Labour Co-operative) is one of a dozen politicians making the change as part of the PETA Earth Day Campaign.

Charity organisation PETA - short for People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals - asked those taking part to pledge to ditch meat, dairy and other animal-derived foods for the day.

Ms Maskell said: “Research by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change shows that a global switch to vegan eating would result in the largest reduction in emissions of any dietary shift.

“According to the analysis, it would prevent almost eight billion tonnes of CO2 emissions a year by 2050. I’m doing my part to reach this goal by going vegan this Earth Day.”

PETA reported that animal agriculture is the leading cause of ocean dead zones, species extinction and habitat destruction.

A study in the journal Nature found that greenhouse-gas emissions from animal agriculture would reduce by half if the world turned to a mainly plant-based diet. Every person who goes vegan can lower their carbon footprint by up to 73 per cent and save nearly 200 animals per year.

“These lawmakers didn’t hesitate to step up and show people that we can spare animals’ lives, save water, and slash greenhouse-gas emissions simply by going vegan,” says PETA Senior Campaigns Manager Kate Werner.

“PETA encourages everyone to follow their lead and be a vegan force of nature against climate change on Earth Day and every day.”

The other participating MPs are Henry Smith, Tracey Crouch, Lisa Cameron, Luke Pollard, Sarah Champion, Helen Hayes, Emma Lewell-Buck, Tommy Sheppard, Caroline Lucas, Caroline Dinenage, and Matthew Pennycook.

PETA is sending each of them a vegan snack basket – provided by The Vegan Kind online supermarket – a #VeganForEarthDay selfie sign, a vegan starter kit, and a PETA pin.

PETA – whose motto reads, in part, that 'animals are not ours to eat'– said it opposes speciesism, a human-supremacist worldview.