Constraints to adaptation  are factors that make it harder to plan and implement adaptation actions, such as limited financial resources, ineffective institutional arrangements or insufficient human capacity. Soft limits are mostly associated with human systems, due in part to the role of human agency in addressing constraints. For natural systems, the magnitude and rate of climate change and capacity of adaptation to such change largely determine the type of limit. Hard limits are largely associated with natural systems and are mostly due to inability to adapt to biophysical changes.
IPCC
Climate Change 2022: Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability
IPCC Report