Decisions by individuals, households, the private sector, governments and public-private partnerships are generally made with partial or uncertain information. This is also the case for adaptation and development decisions where there is often deep uncertainty about the impacts and the societal conditions, preferences and priorities, and responses over time. Under such conditions, decision makers employ decision processes and scientific information differently from situations where most decision-relevant information is available, uncontested and confidently characterised with single joint probability distribution. Assuming scientific information is certain, when it is not, is a barrier to effective communication of risks and to successful decisions under uncertainty, increasing the potential for failure and regret of investments, lost opportunities and transfers of costs to future generations .
IPCC
Climate Change 2022: Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability
IPCC Report