NEW DELHI - India set a goal on Thursday for slowing the growth of its greenhouse gas emissions, the last major economy to offer a climate target four days before the start of U.N. talks on combating global warming.

The government said it was willing to rein in its carbon intensity -- the amount of carbon dioxide (CO2) emitted per unit of economic output -- by between 20 and 25 percent by 2020, from 2005 levels.

India can't be like a frog in the well, India has to show leadership to its own people -- we need to show action, Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh told parliament, laying out India's position ahead of the December 7-18 summit in Denmark.

Such a goal will let India's emissions keep rising. Ramesh said that India, fourth biggest greenhouse gas emitter, would not set a peak year for its emissions, or accept absolute cuts.

The unilateral announcement contrasted with a harder line on Wednesday when diplomats said India, China, Brazil and South Africa opposed the setting of goals advocated by the Danish hosts, including a halving of world emissions by 2050.

The big emerging economies have often insisted that rich nations have caused global warming by spewing out greenhouse gases since the Industrial Revolution, and want to see deep cuts by these rich nations before joining the effort.

It's significant that India is prepared to put a number on the table, said Andrew Deutz, a director at the Washington-based Nature Conservancy. For a long time, their position has been: 'Nothing. We're still waiting for the industrialized countries to act'.

This target puts pressure squarely back on industrialized country leaders, Martin Kaiser, Greenpeace's International Climate Policy Director, said in a statement. He called the goals a good, positive step.

RICH-POOR DIVIDE

Fault lines between rich and poor about sharing out the burden of combating global warming -- projected to bring more floods, droughts, wildfires and heatwaves -- are likely to dominate Copenhagen, where about 100 world leaders will gather on the final two days.

In London, the climate consultancy Ecofys said global greenhouse gas emissions would almost double from 1990 levels by 2040 with current emissions promises.

And rich nations are far from united in their approach.

Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd said on Thursday he would not rule out calling an early election to end a political deadlock over climate change policy, after parliament rejected for a second time his policy on cutting carbon emissions.

In Brussels, a European Commission official said the European Union wanted more from China.

China last week said it would aim to cut its carbon intensity goal by 40-45 percent by 2020, from 2005 levels. Some analysts say that could still mean a doubling of emissions.

In Brussels, a European Commission official said the European Union wanted more from China.

China last week said it would aim to cut its carbon intensity goal by 40-45 percent by 2020, from 2005 levels. Some analysts say that could still mean a doubling of emissions.

There's an expectation they could go further, the EU official said.

Summit hosts Denmark reiterated that it was now too late to agree a full, legally binding treaty in Copenhagen. Hedegaard said nations would have to set a deadline for completing work as soon as possible in 2010.

I think that right now the biggest obstacle for Copenhagen will be finance, she told Reuters. Developed nations have yet to put cash on the table to help fund a deal.

In Italy, environmentalists accused Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi of doing too little to avert climate change, and put up an ice statue of him in the ancient Roman Forum. It is timed to melt away on the day the conference opens.

(Additional reporting by Reuters bureaux around the world; writing by Alister Doyle, Editing by Elizabeth Fullerton)

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