Trying to burnish its international reputation as it prepares for a major climate conference, India is considering adoption of curbs on carbon emissions that it has long resisted. India had thus far rejected emission cuts, declaring that they would compromise the populous nation's economic growth, even as developed countries criticized its intransigence. But under a proposed national law, India may set limits on greenhouse gas emissions over the coming decade, focusing on energy efficiency, new building codes, clean energy and fuel economy standards. India's leadership hopes that by acting on its own, rather than responding to what are likely to be tough demands from other countries during the December climate conference in Copenhagen, the measures will garner more domestic support. 'We have to take up bold new responsibilities that we have evaded so far,' Jairam Ramesh, India's environment minister, said at a recent trade conference. 'But if we want durable political consensus, then it has to be rooted in domestic legislation and not in an international agreement.' The cuts would be a national goal; they would be neither an internationally binding commitment nor open to international verification. Still, Ramesh said he hoped that the measures would portray India as a 'positive player' in climate talks. India's emerging economic might and global ambitions are nudging Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, an Oxford-educated economist, to be more mindful of the nation's image. His aides say he wants India to engage with the world in a way that befits its aspiration to be a permanent member of the U.N. Security Council and have greater say in the running of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank. 'India does not want to be the global bad boy in international negotiations. We don't want to be blamed as the stumbling block anymore,' said Tarun Das, head of the Confederation of Indian Industry, who works closely with the Indian government. Coal meets about 60 percent of India's power needs, and the country is ranked fifth in the production of greenhouse gas emissions. India, which has more than 1 billion people and a rapidly expanding economy, has argued that its per capita emissions are a tenth of those in the United States and that the bigger polluters should cut first. 'The prime minister feels the arguments that worked two years ago may not work anymore,' said an aide to Singh, speaking on the condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss the matter publicly. 'We will not barter away our national interest, but we can afford to make marginal adjustments.' 