Aeshnina Azzahra Aqilani's environmental activism inspires Indonesian youth to take up the call for climate action

Aeshnina Azzahra Aqilani, often known as Nina, has been a source of inspiration for Indonesia's young, spearheading a battle against plastic trash and pushing for immediate climate action. Following in her footsteps, young activists from Gresik Regency and beyond are speaking out on the critical topic of protecting the environment.

At the age of 14, Nina started her path as an environmental activist, forming the "River Warriors" squad to address plastic pollution in her hometown of Gresik Regency, East Java, drawing inspiration from well-known individuals such as Greta Thunberg. Nina was named an EndPlasticSoup Young Ambassador in December 2021, and since then, she has not only advocated for change locally but also globally.

Local and Global activities:

To address the issue of plastic trash, Nina has been planning both local and global activities with her team, River Warriors. Their initiatives seek to address the worldwide problem of plastic trash export in addition to improving the local ecology. Nina has fervently pushed for international leaders to stop sending plastic waste to Indonesia, highlighting the significance of regional actions having an impact on the entire world.

Demanding Green Policies from Presidential Candidates:

Even though Nina is too young to cast a ballot in Indonesia's elections, she hasn't let that stop her from advocating. She has been gathering letters from young people in East Java for the past six months; sixty percent of them will be casting their first ballots in the forthcoming elections on February 14. The three presidential contenders received the letters in late January, which demanded more aggressive action on recycling and climate change.

Youth-Led Advocacy Efforts:

A surge of activism among Indonesian youth has been inspired by Aeshnina Azzahra Aqilani's devotion and commitment. Young people are organizing neighborhood projects, awareness campaigns, and letter-writing campaigns to demand climate action from their leaders, motivated by Nina's example. The youth-led movement calls on political leaders to embrace sustainable practices and greener policies in an effort to elevate environmental concerns in the public conversation.

The youth of Indonesia are demonstrating that being young does not have to impede one from having a big influence in the face of the pressing need for environmental protection. The life of Aeshnina Azzahra Aqilani is a tribute to the ability of driven people to effect change by inspiring a new generation to assume environmental stewardship and demand a sustainable future.

Pic: Instagram/@aeshnina