Earth is nanotech compliant. People thrive in huge, living buildings that are entirely self-sufficient. Pollution is a word without corporeal example. It's an appealing concept, a good place to live. On the flip side of the universe-creation coin, Earthlings exist without an economy.
Folks take what they want, when they want, and presumably return it as needed.
While that may work with backpacks and Swiss Army knives, the concept gets fuzzy when it's applied to global airlines and spaceports. None of these problems is intrinsically damning. Authors are entitled to their own points of view, but some readers may find MacLeod's views a bit hard to believe. Few readers will lose sleep over this one, but fewer still will toss it aside. A good, yet socially unbelievable read.