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The paper analyzes 170 peer-reviewed studies (2015–2025) to demonstrate that environmental human rights defenders (EHRDs)—including Indigenous Peoples, women, youth, and local communities—provide essential contributions to climate action that remain largely invisible in formal UNFCCC frameworks and Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs). While identity groups are increasingly recognized, the authors find that the specific practice of 'defense' is overlooked, and EHRDs continue to face systemic violence and criminalization, particularly in resource-rich regions. The study advocates for a shift from identity-based recognition to practice-based inclusion to enhance the accountability and effectiveness of global climate governance.