Here’s your UPSC Current Affairs knowledge nugget for today on Arctic Council. The establishment of the Arctic Council was preceded by the Arctic Environmental Protection Strategy (June 1991), a declaration on the protection of the Arctic environment. All Arctic Council decisions and statements require consensus of the eight Arctic States. The oldest and thickest Arctic sea ice (ice with more than 4 years of lifespan) has witnessed more than 95 per cent decline since the 1980s. Another significant consequence is Atlantification – a process where water properties of the Atlantic Ocean located in lower latitudes reach into the Arctic Ocean.