Environmental Justice Atlas

Environmental Justice Atlas
Name	Environmental Justice Atlas
Abbreviation	EJAtlas
Established	2012
Founder	Joan Martínez-Alier
Type	Research database
Country	Spain
Hosted by	ICTA-UAB

Environmental Justice Atlas The Environmental Justice Atlas is a global database documenting environmental conflicts and social movements over natural resources, built to support research by scholars at Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, activists from Friends of the Earth International, and organizations such as Amnesty International and Greenpeace. It compiles data on contested projects including mining sites, hydropower dams, oil extraction, agricultural plantations, and waste facilities, linking cases to actors like indigenous peoples, trade unions, and international bodies such as the United Nations and the European Court of Human Rights. The Atlas is widely used by researchers affiliated with institutions such as Yale University, University of Oxford, McGill University, and London School of Economics.

Overview

The Atlas provides structured entries on hundreds of cases combining qualitative descriptions, timelines, maps, photographs, and bibliographies, enabling comparative work across regions like Latin America, Sub-Saharan Africa, Southeast Asia, and Eastern Europe. It catalogs conflicts involving companies such as Glencore, Rio Tinto, Chevron Corporation, Shell plc, and Vale S.A., and highlights resistance by groups including Movimiento al Socialismo, Landless Workers' Movement (MST), Environmental Justice Foundation, and local NGOs like Fundación Solón. The platform interlinks with datasets from projects run by International Monetary Fund, World Bank, and research networks at University of Manchester and Columbia University.

History and Development

Conceived by environmental economist Joan Martínez-Alier and colleagues at ICTA-UAB following initiatives at forums such as the World Social Forum and the Rio+20 Conference, the Atlas grew out of earlier mapping efforts like the Environmental Justice Organisations, Liabilities and Trade (EJOLT) project and collaborations with Transnational Institute. Early contributors included researchers from Universidade de São Paulo, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, and activists from Movimiento Campesino groups. The platform expanded through partnerships with universities such as University of Melbourne and University of Cape Town and was presented at venues including the International Sociological Association meetings and the European Union policy workshops.

Scope and Methodology

The Atlas uses case-based comparative methodology informed by literatures from political ecology, environmental humanities, and human rights law, drawing on primary sources like court rulings from Inter-American Court of Human Rights, reports by Amnesty International, and investigative journalism from outlets such as The Guardian and Le Monde. Each entry records stakeholders—corporations (e.g., BP, BHP), states (e.g., Peru, India), and communities (e.g., Mapuche, Ogoni)—and classifies activities according to protest tactics used by groups like EarthRights International and Movimiento Sin Tierra. Data collection protocols were influenced by standards from OpenStreetMap and metadata frameworks developed at Harvard University.

Major Findings and Themes

Analyses of the Atlas have revealed recurring patterns: resource extraction projects backed by corporations like TotalEnergies and ConocoPhillips often trigger conflicts involving indigenous rights debates adjudicated in forums such as the Inter-American Development Bank and the African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights. Studies published by scholars at University of California, Berkeley and University of Amsterdam show linkages between land dispossession in regions like the Amazon Rainforest and transnational financing from banks such as HSBC and Deutsche Bank. Themes include contested biodiversity conservation measures implemented by organizations like World Wildlife Fund and resistance framed through instruments like the Nagoya Protocol.

Case Studies and Geographic Coverage

The Atlas includes emblematic cases: opposition to the Belo Monte Dam in Brazil, conflicts over Fracking in the United Kingdom and United States, struggles against Carmichael coal mine in Australia involving Adani Group, campaigns against tar sands development in Alberta and lawsuits brought by Ogoni people in Nigeria. Coverage spans urban disputes over facilities like the Sante Fe County Landfill and transboundary water conflicts involving the Mekong River Commission and Nile Basin Initiative. Regional clusters have been studied by teams at Universidad de los Andes and Stellenbosch University.

Impact and Reception

Researchers at institutions such as Princeton University and University of Buenos Aires cite the Atlas in work on environmental governance, while activists affiliated with Friends of the Earth and Global Witness use it for campaign strategy and evidence in litigation before bodies like the European Court of Justice and national courts in South Africa and Philippines. The Atlas has been referenced in policy debates at United Nations Environment Programme and incorporated into curricula at Sciences Po and University of British Columbia. Critiques from scholars at King's College London and practitioners in International Labour Organization forums note challenges in verification and biases in case selection.

Funding and Governance

Funding has come from research grants and philanthropic sources including the European Commission under programs for research and innovation, foundations such as the Ford Foundation and Open Society Foundations, and academic support from ICTA-UAB and partner universities like University of Sussex. Governance involves an editorial board comprising academics from Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana, and advisory input from networks including EJOLT and Global Alliance for Incinerator Alternatives. The platform maintains contributor guidelines aligned with ethical standards promoted by Committee on Publication Ethics.

Category:Environmental databases