Figure 1. Newspaper article on Las Vegas [1]

 

In 1976, the Chicago Tribune hailed Las Vegas as ‘A posh playground for adults, a wagering wonderland’, noting the area’s claim of being the world’s entertainment center was hard to dispute [Figure 1]. Nearly 5 decades later, that claim holds true as it was deemed the number one city for a fun time with no other city able to compete with Las Vegas regarding entertainment [2].

 

Figure 2. List of Hotels and Casinos along the las vegas strip [3]

As Figure 2 shows, the Las Vegas strip houses more than two dozen casinos/resort spaces in a mere 7-mile strip. In addition, the strip houses other entertainment venues like concert halls and performance venues. The plethora of activities helps drive huge visitor traffic, with 2022 experiencing over 38 million visitors which was just shy of the pre-pandemic annual record of 42.5 million in 2019 [4]. The region’s nickname of ‘sin city’ due to its plethora of adult entertainment could also aptly apply to its huge environmental impact, namely the pollution it generates while serving entertainment to the masses.

 

Figure 3. Las Vegas Strip at night [5]

As seen in Figure 3, the Las Vegas strip is illuminated beautifully at night, ranging from fountain lights to neon billboards and building lights. While certainly fitting for the entertainment capital of the world, this staggering light display actually causes a lot of light pollution. In fact, the Las Vegas strip is noted as being unrivaled as a night-time light source, with the highest light radiance per area of any city in the United States at 56.2 nW cm⁻² sr⁻¹  [6]. Light serves as a macroscale attractive sink for nocturnal insects, with a peak of 45.6 million grasshoppers observed over the Las Vegas airspace, and that altered flight behaviour towards highly lit urbanized areas results in a decrease in insect abundance as there is insufficient quality habitat near the artificial light sources [6].

Beyond just impacting the local ecology, light pollution can have impacts on human health too. Intense light pollution at night messes up human physiology by stunting melatonin production, which is noted to play a role in low melatonin levels and circadian disruption are also thought to play a role in heart disease, diabetes, depression, and cancer (particularly breast cancer) [7]. This is especially concerning for Las Vegas as even 100km away in Death Valley, California, the glow from Las Vegas is bright enough to ‘significantly degrade visual sky quality’. [8]  Given the constant night light pollution and its huge area of effect, the impacts on human and natural ecosystems is not insignificant.

 

Figure 4. Las Vegas average daily traffic count [9]

 

Given the massive visitor numbers, it is not surprising that Las Vegas also has significant air pollution from vehicle emissions. From Figure 4, the region saw an average of ~46,000 auto traffic counts just from the NV/CA border when studying how people travel to the region. Given the high vehicular use, particulate matter pollution in the city is quite high. The American lung association notes that ‘Nevada can and should reduce smog pollution by closing the Classic Car loophole while implementing Stronger Clean Car standards.’ as the region was ranked 21st in 2021 among cities in terms of short-term particulate pollution [10].  Traffic-related air pollution (TRAP) poses substantial risks to human health due to particulate matter emissions, including pregnancy complications, fatal cardiac events, nervous system diseases, and liver inflammation [11]. Beyond human effects, particulate matter also impacts the environment by changing the water ecosystem’s nutrient balances, damaging forests and crops through acid rain, and the acidification of water bodies [12]. Just like light pollution, particulate matter extends far beyond Las Vegas’s borders, as particulate matter (specifically pm 2.5 from sources like vehicle exhaust) can travel hundreds of miles before settling on land [13].

 

Figure 5. Famous Vegas Slogan [14]

While the famous slogan in Figure 5 was meant to symbolize keeping quiet about any scandalous activities that happen in ‘sin city’, we should certainly speak up about the negative externalities (namely light and air pollution) generated in the pursuit of entertainment. While one can hide their debauchery, the effects of pollution are a much harder secret to keep. After all, this post shows that sometimes what happens in Vegas does not just stay in Vegas.

– Lucian T.K.

References

[1] Ancestry. (1976, June 13). Las Vegas: A posh playground for adults, a wagering Wonderland. Newspapers.com. Retrieved February 5, 2023, from https://www.newspapers.com/clip/29170307/las-vegas-a-posh-playground-for/

[2] Töre, Ö. (2022, October 27). Is Las Vegas still the entertainment capital of the world? FTNnews. Retrieved February 5, 2023, from https://ftnnews.com/tours/44967-is-las-vegas-still-the-entertainment-capital-of-the-world

[3] Ascen. (2022, August 1). Las Vegas maps – the tourist maps of LV to plan your trip. Capture the Atlas. Retrieved February 5, 2023, from https://capturetheatlas.com/las-vegas-map/#tourist

[4] LVCVA. (2023a). LVCVA EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 2022. Assets simple view. Retrieved February 5, 2023, from https://assets.simpleviewcms.com/simpleview/image/upload/v1/clients/lasvegas/ES_Dec_2022_55ca21d9-0cc5-41f4-ac92-4022429f8380.pdf

[5] Gittos, A. (2016, April 12). Vegas at night. Flickr. Retrieved February 5, 2023, from https://www.flickr.com/photos/126736088@N08/26353758496

[6] Tielens, E. K., Cimprich, P. M., Clark, B. A., DiPilla, A. M., Kelly, J. F., Mirkovic, D., Strand, A. I., Zhai, M., & Stepanian, P. M. (2021). Nocturnal City lighting elicits a macroscale response from an insect outbreak population. Biology Letters, 17(3). https://doi.org/10.1098/rsbl.2020.0808

[7] Stevens, R. G., Brainard, G. C., Blask, D. E., Lockley, S. W., & Motta, M. E. (2013). Adverse health effects of nighttime lighting. American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 45(3), 343–346. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.amepre.2013.04.011

[8] Green, R. F., Luginbuhl, C. B., Wainscoat, R. J., & Duriscoe, D. (2022). The growing threat of light pollution to ground-based observatories. The Astronomy and Astrophysics Review, 30(1). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00159-021-00138-3

[9] LVCVA. (2023b). Las Vegas statistics, research, and frequently asked questions. Las Vegas Statistics, Research, and Frequently Asked Questions. Retrieved February 5, 2023, from https://www.lvcva.com/research/

[10] American Lung Association. (2021, April 21). American Lung Association State of the Air 2021 Report Find Nevada’s Air Quality Remains Unhealthy For Too Many. Press Releases | American Lung Association | American Lung Association. Retrieved February 5, 2023, from https://www.lung.org/media/press-releases/sota21-nevada#:~:text=This%20year’s%20American%20Lung%20Association,pollution%3A%20particle%20pollution%20and%20ozone.

[11] Bai, X., Chen, H., & Oliver, B. G. (2022). The health effects of traffic-related air pollution: A review focused the health effects of Going Green. Chemosphere, 289, 133082. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chemosphere.2021.133082

[12] Manisalidis, I., Stavropoulou, E., Stavropoulos, A., & Bezirtzoglou, E. (2020). Environmental and health impacts of Air Pollution: A Review. Frontiers in Public Health, 8. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2020.00014

[13] EPA. (2019). Particulate Matter Emissions. United States Environmental Protection Agency. Retrieved February 5, 2023, from https://cfpub.epa.gov/roe/indicator_pdf.cfm?i=19

[14] David. (2018, August 4). English expression: What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas. ArtisanEnglish.jp. Retrieved February 5, 2023, from https://www.artisanenglish.jp/debate-and-discussion-online/what-happens-in-vegas-stays-in-vegas/