In an extraordinary meeting of minds, President Barack Obama has interviewed Sir David Attenborough at the White House.

During the meeting, the two men discussed the future of the planet, their passion for nature and what can be done to protect it. Excerpts can be viewed below.

The interview was recorded in May on Sir David's 89th birthday.

In the UK it will be broadcast as a special programme on BBC One at 10.30pm this Sunday 28th June.

In the US, the special will air on BBC AMERICA, the home of the BBC's biggest natural history landmarks on American television. It will be screened this Sunday at 5:30pm ET, followed by an extended version at 8:00pm ET.

In Australia it will air on ABC at 8pm AEST on Tuesday 30th June, and in over 50 countries across four continents including BBC Earth’s branded channels in the Nordics; Poland; Turkey, Hungary and Romania.

This media cannot be played on your device.

According to the White House, President Obama grew up watching Sir David Attenborough's films and has long been a huge admirer of his work. He wanted to meet Sir David to talk to him about climate change and its effect on the environment, and to ask his thoughts on the most critical issues threatening our planet.

In 60 years exploring the globe, Sir David has witnessed the changing natural world first-hand.

Solving problems

During the unique exchange, the President talks about his initiatives for tackling climate change and addressing environmental issues.

"We're not moving as fast as we need to," the President says to Sir David in the interview, "and part of what I know from watching your programmes, and all the great work you've done, is that these ecosystems are all interconnected. If just one country is doing the right thing but other countries are not, then we're not going to solve the problem. We're going to have to have a global solution to this."

"What we're seeing are global trends that depend on the entire world working together, and sadly we haven't made as much progress as we need to on climate change."

He also shares how his paternal roots in Africa, and his childhood in Hawaii and Indonesia, established an enduring love of the natural world.

Sir David relates tales from his long career, his recent record-breaking dive on the Great Barrier Reef and what he believes needs to be done about pressing issues such as the rising population, climate change and renewable energy.