Final answer:
Nitrous oxide (N₂O) significantly contributes to global warming as a potent greenhouse gas and also plays a role in depleting the ozone layer.
Step-by-step explanation:
The impact of nitrous oxide (N₂O) on the environment includes its role as a potent greenhouse gas, contributing significantly to global warming. Its high global warming potential is due to its ability to trap heat in the atmosphere, with a potency approximately 300 times greater than CO₂. Moreover, N₂O also plays a part in depleting the ozone layer, which protects the Earth from harmful ultraviolet radiation. While N₂O can also form nitric acid through different reactions in the atmosphere, contributing to acid rain, and nitrogen oxides (NOx) can lead to soil nutrient pollution, particularly in coastal waters, its primary environmental impacts are global warming and ozone depletion.