If we continue to burn fossil fuels at current rates, levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere will reach 550 PPM (partspermillion) — double pre-industrial levels — by around 2050.
Levels of the gas at the Zeppelin research station on Svalbard, northern Norway, last week peaked at over 397 partspermillion (PPM), an increase of more than 2.5ppm on 2008.