It is a profound mistake to think that the earth’s resources would never end. Maybe our ancestors thought that way or could not imagine the extent we would use up all the resources. The time will come one day when we would have used up all the natural resources that now exist and seem infinite like the sun. The sun itself would burn out and life on earth would cease! Yet that day is too far away to start worrying now!
Like the way we use the electricity grid, paying for what we consume, the cloud contains all the elements that are metered and payment is made according to the extent of usage. There is no need to replicate software and extensive hardware devices with each user. Costs thus get shared like using pool vehicles instead of the five of them driving to work in separate vehicles!