Despite the challenges to keep the 1.5 degrees Celsius target alive at the 26th meeting of the United Nations Climate Change Conference of Parties (COP26) held in Glasgow this year, small island developing states (SIDS) have continued to step up in promoting international cooperation and sustainable efforts to build climate security. After analysing 18 statements from SIDS’ leaders from the Caribbean, Pacific, Atlantic, Indian Ocean and South China Sea at the opening of the high-level segment of COP26, Athaulla Rasheed explains how policy narratives of island nations have promoted ideas about their fight for survival. He says that the fight needs urgent action, supported by financial cooperation to address the costs of loss and damage caused by climate change. His analysis focuses particularly on the climate security bases of SIDS’ policy discourse.