Small Islands are often seen as “canaries in the coalmine” in the context of climate change. Fragile ecosystems are sensitive to changes in temperature, rainfall patterns and sea-level rise, while island societies might have insufficient means to cope with climate change impacts. While science provides a robust global “big” picture on climate change and adaptation in general, data at the local scale is still lacking. Furthermore, knowledge on successful (as well as failed) adaptation from one island rarely reaches other islands or island regions. Therefore, Michael Fink and Carola Klöck organised a workshop covering the three Island Regions Pacific, Caribbean, and Indian Ocean titled “Dealing with Climate Change on Small Islands – Towards Effective and Sustainable Adaptation?”. The workshop took place from 25–27 July 2018 at Herrenhausen Palace, Hannover, Germany and received financial support from the Volkswagen Foundation and organizational assistance from Hellena Debelts. Almost 40 scientists and practitioners attended. A small selection of the rich discussions and diverse presentations from the workshop are presented in this brief report.