New Delhi - Not much was expected from the climate change summit in Copenhagen except for a mandate to continue negotiations, Indian Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh said Thursday.

"We need to be proactive, aggressive and ruthless in our domestic obligations. We need to draw a distinction," Ramesh said while releasing the State of the World Population report 2009 in the Indian capital.

"Internationally we reject legally binding emissions. We will never agree to that, and we are prepared to be alone in our stand, but domestically we have to be proactive in reducing carbon emissions," Ramesh said.

"I think none of you should have too much expectations [of the Copenhagen summit]," Ramesh told reporters.

"It seems as if long haul before legally binding emissions are agreed on," he said.

The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change is scheduled to meet in Copenhagen from December 7 to reach a new climate pact to replace the Kyoto protocol that expires in
2012.

Differences between developed and developing countries on emission caps are seen as the main sticking point in reaching an agreement at Copenhagen.

India has refused to accept legally binding emission reduction targets, saying developed countries must reduce their much larger emissions first and make funding commitments to help poorer nations develop emission control technologies. (dpa)