"Our viewpoint, and the viewpoint of much of the developing world... is that while addressing (climate change), due care must be taken not to allow growth and development prospects in the developing world to be undermined or constrained," Singh said in a statement ahead of his departure.

"It is also a fact that more and not less development is the best way for developing countries to address themselves to the issue of preserving the environment and protecting the climate," he said.

Summit host Germany has placed climate change on the top of the agenda and has staked its G8 presidency on persuading counterparts to agree to limit the global temperature rise to two degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit).

It also wants to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 50 percent compared with 1990 levels by 2050.

India, which says its greenhouse gas emissions will be cut by more than 25 percent thanks to domestic measures implemented in the past decade, refuses to accept any binding provisions to cap emissions.

A top US official said yesterday that the final communique from the G8 summit would not fix long-term targets for cutting emissions because all nations including non-G8 members have to be involved in any accord.

Yesterday, he insisted India was committed to environment-friendly development "even as we seek to accelerate the pace of economic growth," already above nine percent.

Singh also said India's 1.1 billion people should try to change their behaviour to cut carbon emissions.

India's environment ministry also said this week that it was up to developed nations to cut greenhouse gas output, arguing that India contributed only four percent to total global emissions.

Singh said that the leaders of Brazil, China, India, Mexico and South Africa will meet in Berlin today before holding talks with their counterparts from the G8.

"Prior to the meeting with the leaders of the G8, the president of Mexico will host a meeting of the outreach countries in Berlin on June 7 where we will discuss our positions that are of special relevance to the developing world," Singh said in a statement.in Berlin.

The leaders of the five major emerging economies have been invited to the Group of Eight summit by German Chancellor Angela Merkel to discuss issues such as climate change, trade liberalisation and poverty relief.

Merkel wants G8 leaders to endorse ambitious goals on fighting global warming but has warned that efforts to stop the planet overheating were doomed to fail unless they also involved the big developing nations.

China and India, with a combined population of 2.4 billion, signalled last week that they would not accept mandatory targets on cutting emissions for fear that this would slow their economic growth.