Abstract Climate change is one of the biggest challenges of this century. In 2007 IPCC projected that global warming during the 21st century would be ranged from 1.8 to 4.0 degrees. Consequently, the greenhouse gases locked in the permafrost will be released to the atmosphere, and radically accelerate global warming. The impact will spread into all aspects of human living, and ultimately it will alter the system of our society as a whole. Although there has been a lot of effort to mitigate global warming, it takes an enormous amount of time and capital to change the existing infrastructure in place. Luckily, it has become increasingly understood in recent years that cattle are responsible for more than 18 per cent of all greenhouse gas emission, which is much larger than all transportation worldwide — cars, buses, trains, and airplanes — combined. Gram to gram, grain-fed beef requires thirty-five calories for every calorie of beef produced not including the energy used in processing and transporting food, and with growing population beyond 7 billion the current trend of increasing demand on beef should stop. Beef among other meat also contributes to obesity, type 2 diabetes, osteoporosis, and cardiovascular diseases that are burdening households and the governments worldwide. In Finland, € 3.3 billion plus additional € 1.8 billion of the state budget of € 50 billion are spent for diabetes alone, most of which is spent for type 2 diabetes. Beef Finland 2012 is an attempt for reducing beef consumption worldwide, which may be one of the most affordable and effective solutions to both mitigate and adapt to the climate change, reduce other environmental impacts, and reduce the risk of persistent illnesses of global population. As a developed country uniquely positioned in-between Europe and Asia, Finland has much to offer to the world for alternatives. Given the harsh climate for agriculture, if Finland can reduce meat consumption, any European nation can do it. With its small, agile and well-integrated society Finland is optimal place for new societal experiments and exemplification. The association between beef the upcoming threats to humanity was closely investigated in introduction, and Design brief was chosen as the product in this thesis and therefore the preliminary research investigated various literature on design thinking, social science, and design brief. The aim is not to guilt or shame people, but provide alternatives that will give rise to a virtuous circle in systems, and consequently Behavioral Science and Systems Thinking are hired together as the approach. This thesis examines the structure of the problem of beef production and consumption both worldwide and in Finland. As results, a systems model of Finnish beef and dairy production and consumption is discovered as well as some 10 potential ideas. In conclusion, some possible applications of the design brief are discussed as well as the recommendations for future research.
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