India to make fuel efficiency mandatory from 2011

India will make fuel efficiency standards mandatory for the transport sector from 2011 as part of a growing suite of measures to fight climate change, the country’s environment minister said. India has recently announced steps to ramp up solar energy investment and preserve and rehabilitate forests ahead of a United Nations gathering in Copenhagen in December, which is aimed at trying to win agreement on a broader pact to fight climate change. In a 2004 report to the United Nations, the last time India published detailed emissions data, the government said total greenhouse gas emissions were 1.228 billion tons, or about 1.3 tons per person, based on 1994 levels. (September 2, 2009)