India will not accept legally binding emission cuts: Jairam Ramesh

New Delhi, Dec 1 (ANI): Ahead of the Copenhagen summit, Minister of State for Environment and Forests Jairam Ramesh on Tuesday said that India would not accept any legally binding emission cuts.

International community has been building pressure on India after US President Barack Obama and Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao announced commitments to reduce emissions.

Addressing the media outside the Parliament House in the national capital, Ramesh said that India would not change its stand under international pressure.

"The entire world is monitoring China because it is the number one country, as far as the carbon emissions are concerned, they (Chinese) are under pressure from international community, but we will not change our stand under international pressure. We will adopt policy according to our national consensus," Ramesh said.

Ramesh further said that India and China would work towards a common position in talks on a climate deal, but India should not be compared with tits neighbour.

"We are at the fifth spot in emission intensity rankings, our carbon emission is less than five percent, so we should not be compared with China, as far as carbon emission rate is concerned. But, both (India and China) are united as far as our negotiations are concerned. Both are developing nations, our interests and concerns are same and we can understand problems of each other. We are coordinating everyday, but we should not be compared with China," said Ramesh.

The United Nations is aiming for a comprehensive political agreement at climate talks in the Danish capital that start in little over a week.

The troubled talks have run out of time to settle a legally binding deal after rancorous arguments between rich and poor nations about who should cut emissions, by how much and who should pay.

New Delhi has so far refused to accept international legally binding emission reduction targets, though it is prepared to discuss and make public periodically the status of its domestic climate action. (ANI)