Our planet has been steering towards a warm period, the temperature continues to increase since the 19th century; scientists and climate experts are warning about the severe implications. Research studies indicate that the sea level will rise up to one meter by the end of this century. In the case of Indian coast it is estimated the sea level is rising on an average 1.70mm/year in the last five decades. If we look at the decadal variability, during the last decade particularly in the northern coast the rise is at a rate of 6.1mm/year. Nearly a fifth of the population of India is living in the coastal region. It is expected sea level rise will create a huge direct and indirect impacts on the habitats and livelihoods of the fishing, farming and other vulnerable communities. In this backdrop the paper discusses the impacts of climate and disaster risks on the habitats and livelihoods of the coastal communities in the state of Tamil Nadu, fishing and farming sectors in particular and the potential pathways for mitigation and adaptive measures to address the adverse impacts and to promote sustainable coastal zone management.