This chapter presents a global perspective on the impacts of climate change and sea-level rise on coastal and adjoining low-lying areas, with an emphasis on post-2000 insights. Here,coastal systems are considered as the interacting low-lying areas and shallow coastal waters, including their human components. This chapter includes an assessment of current sensitivity and vulnerability, the key changes that coastal systems may undergo in response to climate and sea-level change, including costs and other socio-economic aspects, the potential for adaptation, and the implications for sustainable development. Given that there are strong interactions both within and between the natural and human sub-systems in the coastal system, this chapter takes an integrated perspective of the coastal zone and its management, insofar as the published literature permits.