Celebrating one year at OG with our Legal Officer, Dominika
Since joining Opportunity Green a year ago as a Legal Officer, Dominika has played a key role in the legal team’s groundbreaking work in the buildings sector. As she embarks on new challenges within the team’s shipping work, she reflects on her first year in the role.
What drew you to work at OG?
I always get sentimental around special dates, and my OGversary is no exception. Today, I’m reminded of my first year of university, eight years ago, when I was studying Psychology. Over the summer, I attended my university’s summer school on solving the biggest global challenges – not expecting anything other than a CV-building opportunity.
Learning about climate justice there quite literally changed my life. It opened my eyes to how unfair climate change is, and how much can be done to change that. It also allowed me to see how passionate I was about standing up for what’s right.
As a result, I resolved to build an impact-driven career. Life has taken me on quite a journey since then: I converted into law, studied public international law, worked in human rights, and supported many different causes. But climate justice has always had a special place in my heart. So when I saw the Legal Officer vacancy at Opportunity Green, a young but ambitious climate NGO with a bold and creative legal team, I simply had to apply!
What has changed since you started?
I won’t be original in saying that OG has grown at an astonishing rate. It’s been amazing to welcome so many new and wonderful colleagues, who have each brought something special to OG. Regardless of the growing size of the team, we all feel extra safe thanks to our diligent canine Chief Security Officer Roo!
On a tangible level, OG’s growth means that our spectrum of expertise has grown exponentially: we now have economists, scientists, lawyers, policy experts and advocates in the team, working across aviation, shipping, steel and agriculture. Climate change is a multi-disciplinary issue that needs to be tackled from a variety of angles, and it’s great to see that OG is more than equipped to achieve its bold objectives.
What are you most proud of being involved in since you joined?
I’m incredibly grateful to have a job where every day I do something that contributes to a cause I’m passionate about. On the flipside, it means I struggled to pick just one thing to mention in this blog!
If I had to choose, it would be our engagement with the United Nations Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (CESCR). Economic, social and cultural rights are ‘everyday rights,’ like the right to food, water, housing and education. The CESCR’s task is to ensure that countries respect these rights.
Climate change seriously affects human rights, and economic, social and cultural rights are no exception. We crystallised this link in our submissions to the CESCR. These submissions focused on the connection between human rights and greenhouse gas emissions in the buildings sector. They recognised that it’s often the most vulnerable and marginalised communities which are the most affected by issues such as the lack of proper insulation in homes – issues which also exacerbate the climate crisis.
This issue is complex and intersectional, and I’m proud to have been able to shine light on it. I’m even prouder that, for all three submissions, we worked with fantastic partner NGOs, reflecting the fact that collaboration is one of our core values.
What inspires you about what you’re working on?
The climate crisis is one of the most pressing global issues. It affects every aspect of our society and the planet as a whole, and humanity is currently not doing enough to stop it. This is an incredibly scary and sobering thought.
At OG, we don’t shy away from this reality, but we also recognise that a lot can be done to change it. Working alongside phenomenal, driven experts and getting to see the tangible impact of our work is not only rewarding, but also a great remedy against climate anxiety. My colleagues remind me that a better world is possible, and that it’s within our reach.
Dominika presenting at OG's strategy day
What are you looking forward to in the coming year?
New year, new sector! To date, I have worked on the legal team’s buildings project. Now that it’s coming to an end, I will be getting to grips with shipping. Our team has already done some amazing legal work in this sector, including recently taking the European Commission to the EU’s highest court over its green investment rules and getting MSC Cruises to remove its misleading LNG adverts. I look forward to contributing to the team’s existing work and expanding it.
On a completely separate note, we have recently moved offices. Among the many perks of our brand new space is an office gym, where I am yet to set foot. Here’s hoping!
