Greta Thunberg, Dr. Bonnie Henry to receive honorary degrees from UBC

Climate activist Greta Thunberg and B.C. Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry will be among 18 people to receive honorary degrees from the University of British Columbia this spring.

In a written statement, the university said Henry will get her honorary Doctor of Science degree from the Vancouver campus and Thunberg will get an honorary Doctor of Laws degree from the Okanagan campus.

"Dr. Henry and Ms. Thunberg have served as leading voices in the midst of two of the most significant crises we collectively have ever faced: the global pandemic and climate change," said UBC president Santa Ono.

"They are truly an inspiration to us all at UBC."

The university says it confers honorary degrees "to deserving individuals who have made substantial contributions to society."

Other recipients this spring include Victoria-based writerEsi Edugyan, whose novel Half Blood Blues won the 2011 Scotiabank Giller Prize for Fiction, and Tahltan Nation member Garry Merkel, who has championed culturally relevant education for Indigenous peoples.