During the 1970s many developing countries financed their economies by taking loans. Falling prices for exports of primary produce, rising costs for oil imports, and in some cases disorder and maladministration led to escalating debt. The 1973 to 1974 OPEC oil price increase caused further recession, driving down export prices and making debt repayment difficult. The ‘debt crisis’ broke in 1982, and soon claims were made that it resulted in environmental degradation, although there was little clear proof (George, 1988, 1992; Adams, 1991; Reed, 1992a: 143; UN, 1992). Various impacts of debt have been recognised: (1) money diverted to servicing debt is unavailable for environmental management; (2) resources are put under pressure to earn foreign exchange for interest or to pay off debt; (3) means to combat debt cause difficulty, notably structural adjustment measures.