Over the past century, the global climate system has experienced significant modification, due to the impacts of increased greenhouse gas concentrations resulting in global warming, the associated melting of polar and alpine glaciers and changes in ocean currents. Coastal areas are vital economic hubs in terms of settlement, industry, agriculture, trade and tourism, as well as being of great environmental significance. Studying the response mechanisms of coastal systems to climate change and assessing related potential socio-economic impacts are vital prerequisites for proposing feasible adaption and mitigation strategies. This paper reviews the historical assessments and reports produced by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and the potential impacts of climate change on coastal systems that have been outlined. Based on definitions of vulnerability, the conceptual framework and the derivation of various vulnerability index systems for coastal impact assessment under climate change are reviewed and summarized. By reviewing the studies worldwide on vulnerability assessment for coastal zones under climate change, the perspectives in this field are discussed. A large number of scientific questions related to global climate change and its impacts on coastal zones need to be answered. At the same time, the feasibility and effectiveness of various mitigation measures need to be studied and verified.