The EJAtlas was initially developed in the context of the Environmental Justice Organisations, Liabilities and Trade (EJOLT) EU project. EJOLT was an FP7 project supported by the European Commission that ran from 2011-2015. EJOLT supported the work of Environmental Justice Organisations and united scientists, activist organisations, think-tanks and policy-makers concerned over issues of uneven ecological distribution. The EJAtlas was created and directed by Prof. Joan Martinez Alier and Dr. Leah Temper, and coordinated by Dr. Daniela del Bene based at ICTA-UAB. 

After the EJOLT project, the EJAtlas continued with the support of different collaborations and research projects such as the international ACKnowl-EJ research project (Academic and Activist co-production of knowledge for Environmental Justice, Transformation to Sustainability Network, Social Sciences Council, 2015-2019) awarded to Leah Temper and Ashish Kothari, coordinated by Mariana Walter). The ENVJUSTICE European Research Council award (ERC) granted to Professor Joan Martinez-Alier (2016-2021), and funds from the Balzan Prize 2020 and Holberg Prize 2023 have supported the continuation of the EJAtlas.

The EJAtlas is also developed and sustained with the daily volunteering work of interns, students, collaborators, activists and researchers across the word.