Environment Secretary David Miliband has said it is "absolutely vital" that the US is at the centre of global efforts to overcome climate change.
President George W Bush could leave "no greater legacy" than working with the Democrats, who now control Congress, on environmental protection, he said.
The US created 25% of global emissions and had to be "part of the solution".
Meanwhile UK energy firms are being urged to give people more information about how much electricity they use.
Mr Miliband is attending a UN conference aimed at setting pollution-cutting targets.
'Serious way forward'
Environment ministers are seeking a global deal to replace the Kyoto Protocol targets which expire in 2012 - and to which the US did not sign up.
The UK government is expected to include a climate change bill in the Queen's Speech on Wednesday.
But Mr Miliband rejected calls for binding annual targets, as these were not a "serious way forward".
"It's absolutely vital that the United States is party to the global commitment that is necessary"
He said: "It's much more important to look at this over the medium term, and that's why the Kyoto Protocol went for five-yearly targets."
The Democrats gained control of both houses of Congress from Mr Bush's Republicans in elections last week.
Mr Miliband said: "It's absolutely vital that the United States is party to the global commitment that is necessary.
"I can think of no greater legacy for President Bush in his last two years of office than to lead a bi-partisan drive to put the United States at the heart of global emissions reductions."
Live readings
As part of its own efforts to combat climate change, the UK government has begun a consultation with energy firms about helping people become more environmentally friendly.
One idea is to introduce new devices which give live readings of how much energy is being used in a home, which the government says have been shown to reduce energy consumption by up to 12 %.
Trade and Industry Secretary Alistair Darling told the BBC: "At the moment [electricity firms] are incentivised to sell you as much electricity as they can.
"They know they can't go on like that. We need to incentivise them so they can help with insulation and they can help with double glazing."
The UK government-commissioned Stern Review, published last month, warned that if no action was taken on emissions, there was more than a 75% chance of global temperatures rising between 2C and 3C over the next 50 years.
This could result in melting glaciers causing floods, a decline in crop yields and an increase in extreme weather.
Rising sea levels could also leave 200 million people permanently displaced, the review said.
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