This paper reviews briefly the current understanding of the global concentration of nitrous oxide (N2O), sinks and sources of atmospheric N2O, emissions from stationary combustion sources, the effects of NO(x) reduction technologies on the formation of N2O, the kinetic mechanism of formation and destruction of N2O, and experimental measurements of N2O. Despite many efforts to clarify the origins of atmospheric N2O and mechanisms of N2O formation, many problems remain to be solved-for example the key reactions in the formation and destruction of N2O, and the reason for the recent drastic rise in its global concentration. The main objectives of this paper are to stimulate attention to the global concentration and to foster research into the sophisticated modelling of N2O formation and the development of N2O abatement technologies.