Vegetated intertidal wetlands (mangrove and salt marsh) often have high vegetation productivity, low organic carbon decomposition rate, low CH_4 emission rate and high carbon deposition rate, thereby performing as one of the ecosystems with the fastest carbon sequestration rate per unit area. As a major contributor to global blue carbon sink, intertidal wetlands have great potential in mitigating carbon greenhouse gas emission and eliminating the global greenhouse effect. Intertidal wetlands are mainly distributed at coast and estuary areas with developed economy and dense population. In recent years, the carbon sink function of intertidal wetlands has been threatened by more and more human disturbances, and the ongoing climate changes also added uncertainties to their function of carbon sink. In the context of global change, an insight into the carbon cycling and its environmental controlling mechanisms in intertidal wetlands can help the authorities better manage these ecosystems possessing important carbon mitigation potential. Related studies at home and aboard were summarized, in which the basic processes of the carbon cycling and its environmental affecting factors in intertidal wetlands were analyzed, and the effects of multiple human disturbances and climate change elements on the carbon cycling in intertidal wetlands were investigated. The main processes of the carbon cycling in intertidal wetlands include CO_2 and CH_4 exchanges across the soil (water)-atmosphere and the canopy-atmosphere interfaces, and sediment deposition-derived carbon sequestration at the vertical direction, as well as the carbon exchanges with offshore sea at the lateral direction. The carbon cycling in intertidal wetlands can be influenced by many abiotic and biotic factors, such as tide, photosynthetically active radiation (PAR), temperature, salinity, water level, and plant community characteristics. Land reclamation, eutrophication, and grazing are likely to weaken the carbon sink function of intertidal wetlands, whereas the exotic plant invasions may bring a higher carbon acquisition capacity to some degree. Sea level rise and global warming can increase the vulnerability of the carbon sink function of intertidal wetlands, while the effects from elevated CO_2 concentration are dependent on the photosynthetic pathways of dominant plant communities. The influences of multiple synchronous climate change elements on the carbon sink function of intertidal wetlands are much more complex. In the globe scope, large areas of intertidal wetlands have been suffering severe damages or even been lost, and the hydrological regulation is a promising measure to remedy and restore the carbon sink function of the disturbed intertidal wetlands. Future studies should: (1) Focus on understanding the interactive effects of multiple synchronous climate change elements, together with those of human disturbances coexisted with climate changes on the carbon cycling in intertidal wetlands. (2) Predict possible changes of carbon balances of intertidal wetlands that under different scenarios of human disturbances and climate changes. (3) Improve the basic theories and implementation methods for the carbon sink remediation of the disturbed intertidal wetlands.