Coastal areas and seas are exposed to many risks due to their very nature and the fact that they are intensively occupied and developed. Although the distinction is not always clear-cut, risks can be categorised as either natural (coastal flooding, earthquakes, etc.), or human related (industrial hazards, health risks, etc.). When these hazards cause actual harm, they cause damage both to tangible and intangible goods and property and to natural habitats. Depending on their severity, they may call into question the habitability of coastal areas and seas, and trigger action to avoid, alleviate, mitigate, or adapt more effectively to the risks. This section includes articles on understanding and anticipating all types of risk in order to improve or maintain the fitness for habitation of coastal and maritime areas, which leads to a broader discussion about the habitability of the blue planet.

Coastal and maritime risks can be considered from various angles and on any scales of time and space that facilitate understanding. They can be viewed by centring analysis either on knowledge of the hazards, on reducing vulnerability, or indeed on both these factors together. They can also be considered in terms of their impacts on and consequences for societies and coastal and maritime habitats.