Meet Aeshnina Azzahra Aqilani, an environmental activist from Kandangasin, Gresik, East Java.
In the past, she was known for sending letters to Australia’s Prime Minister (PM) and the Chancellor of Germany. She protested against the two countries for contributing plastic waste to Indonesia.
Now, she is protesting with other activists in Canada. The 16-year-old girl, who is familiarly called Nina, is protesting to Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to stop sending plastic waste to Indonesia and ASEAN in general.
At the protest, Nina carried a banner that read, ‘Stop Flooding ASEAN countries with Your Sachet, No More Plastic In My Mouth, Stomach, Lung, and Blood and Stop Feeding Us Plastic.’
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“In 2020, I sent a letter of protest to the Prime Minister of Canada for Canada to stop sending plastic waste to Indonesia, but until now, my letter has not been replied to,” said Nina.
The protest was held in front of the Shaw Center, where INC-4 took place in Ottawa, Canada.
INC-4 is a gathering of world leaders who negotiated the Global Plastics Agreement. It took place from April 23 to 29, 2024, in Ottawa, Canada.
Nina said that the export of plastic waste from developed countries to ASEAN must end because it will only prolong the environmental disaster.
“If plastic production and waste exports to developing countries continue, it will create a long-term disaster for my environment,” she said, as reported from KOMPAS.
Sending letters to all three Indonesian presidential candidates and President Trump
Nina is vocal on environmental issues. During the recent elections in Indonesia, she sent letters to three Indonesian presidential candidates who were eyeing the presidency then.
The three presidential candidates were Anies Baswedan, Prabowo Subianto, and Ganjar Pranowo.
Nina’s letter requested that the newly elected president care about environmental issues in Indonesia, especially in the province of East Java.
Earlier in 2019, Nina also courageously wrote to President Trump. Her letter criticized America’s actions in sending plastic waste to Indonesia.
