Many different factors besides industry and resource use have influences on environmental quality.

Some factors include population growth and distribution, resource use, the capacity of technology to solve environmental problems, as well as economic, cultural, political, and ethical views.

Some Examples of Political or Cultural Views Influencing Environmental Quality:
* Wealthy people in the developed world tend to have fewer children.
* Some countries like China have laws concerning the number of children a couple may have without penalty.
* In some countries such as many in Latin America, families tend to be larger as birth control violates religious and societal norms.
* In some poor cultures in third world countries, having many children is seen as a means of having economic security in old age.