Alfredo R.S. Lopes received his Bachelor's degree in 2009 and Master's degree in 2011 in History from the Federal University of Santa Catarina, Brazil. His Master’s research was focused on environmental degradation and memory. For his current PhD research at the same university, he is analyzing disasters and memory in the south of Santa Catarina State to understand whether the disasters change environmental perception, and how. In his work both environmental history and social history are used to comprehend the process of interactions that create or increase the risk of disasters.