Coastal communities are in the front line of climate change. Escalating problems created by sea-level rise, more intense coastal storms, ocean acidification and other repercussions of climate change will exacerbate already pervasive impacts resulting from rapid coastal population growth and development intensification. Coastal communities will only survive and prosper in the coming decades if all concerned make a concerted effort to improve their resilience and adaptability. Telling the stories of real-world communities in diverse coastal settings, this book draws upon the latest research findings from a wide range of disciplines. Case studies are drawn from all around the world and from countries with varying levels of development including America's Gulf of Mexico coast, Australia, Brazil, Britain, China, New Zealand, The Maldives, South Africa, Bangladesh and Vietnam. Each case study addresses vital questions highlighted below: What is unique to this particular place? What makes this place especially vulnerable to climate change and other threats? What can we learn from past experience? What will help or hinder efforts to incorporate climate change adaptation measures into planning and decision making? What practical steps can be taken to build resilience, adaptive capacity and sustainability? If you're faced with the real-world task of helping coastal communities adapt to climate change, or a student or researcher concerned with the impacts of climate change on the coastal zone, then this book will be invaluable to you. It shows you what has succeeded and what has failed around the world, where there are opportunities to be grasped and pitfalls to be avoided.