To highlight melting polar caps, Obama will take on Bear Grylls in the Alaskan wilderness

Obama will become first US president after this expedition to receive crash course in survival techniques from Grylls

US television channel NBC and Electus announced on Monday that US President Barack Obama will go on an adventure trek through the Alaskan wilderness with Bear Grylls, of Man vs Wild fame, for a special edition of ‘Running Wild’.

The programme is part of Obama's visit to Alaska to observe first-hand the effects of climate change. The two will then take on the Alaskan wilderness in true survival fashion.

The show will mark the first time Grylls, a former SAS soldier, giving a crash course in survival techniques to a sitting president.

Read: Obama poised to unveil major climate change plan

The expedition will be recorded for television and aired on NBC later this year.

Moreover, the second season of “Running Wild with Bear Grylls” on NBC will feature some of America’s biggest celebrities, including Kate Winslet, Drew Brees, Kate Hudson, Zac Efron, Michelle Rodriguez and Channing Tatum – that will bring them face to face with the adventures and assess their survival skills, push while pushing them to their mental and physical limits.

Meanwhile, President Barack Obama sets off for a three-day tour of Alaska on Monday, aiming to shine a spotlight on how the United States is being affected by warming temperatures and rising oceans.

With 16 months left in office, Obama is trying to build support for tough new rules on carbon emissions from power plants ahead of a hoped-for international climate deal later this year that could cement his legacy on the issue.

The White House has said Obama will announce new policies to help communities adapt to climate change and deploy renewable energy. But the main purpose of his trip is to use the media attention on his tour - amplified by an aggressive social media campaign - to convince Americans to take action.