Abstract
With a view on the present discussions on the greenhouse effect and the role of COz and CH 4 in the changes of the Earth's atmosphere and climate, the knowledge about the carbon budget in the history of the Earth provides a solid basis. The present scope on the evolution of the Earth's crust and atmosphere is of course an extrapolation of present day processes and interactions. We are sure that the evolution of the atmosphere is intimately linked to the evolution of life. Without the existence of life, the atmosphere of the Earth would equal the atmosphere of Venus or Mars, consisting of about 95% CO2, 3% N 2, and almost negligible amounts of noble gases and oxygen. The change from an oxygen-poor, CO 2rich to a CO2-poor and oxygen-rich atmosphere is due to autotrophic CO 2 fixation driven by photosynthesis. The ongoing processes are summarized in the well-known carbon cycle (Fig. 1). The amounts of
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