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Conference given on February 3, 2009 by Yves Godderis Laboratory for the Study of Mechanisms and Transfers in Geology. , as part of the Major Seminars of the Midi-Pyrénées Observatory. Continental drift has long been suspected of partly determining the regional climate. For example, it is easy to imagine that a continent drifting near a pole will be subject to weaker insolation and therefore to a colder climate. What has been little explored to date is the role of this continental drift on the carbon cycle and consequently on the quantity of greenhouse gases present in the atmosphere. Continental drift is becoming a driver of the global climate, beyond a simple regional climate factor. Indeed, the main sink of atmospheric carbon on the geological time scale is the chemical alteration of continental surfaces. However, the effectiveness of continental alteration depends on the climate. One of the dominant players in the carbon cycle is therefore closely linked to the paleogeographic configuration of the Earth's surface. Recent years have seen the development of coupled numerical models of climate and biogeochemical cycles to explore these complex interdependencies. We will show that the assembly of Pangea 250 million years ago is responsible for the establishment of a very warm climate corresponding to CO2 partial pressures more than 10 times higher than today. Its breakup during the Mesozoic (Triassic-Jurassic-Cretaceous) is the engine of climatic cooling up to the present time. These tectonic-climatic-geochemical changes of the Earth's surface have probably had a considerable impact on the evolution of life.