2.2. The strategy adopted at present to achieve this fundamental safety objective in respect of the disposal of radioactive waste is to contain the waste and to isolate it from the accessible biosphere, to the extent that this is necessary. The biosphere is that part of the environment that is normally inhabited by living organisms, and in this Safety Requirements publication the ‘accessible biosphere’ is taken generally to include those elements of the environment, including groundwater, surface water and marine resources, that are used by people or accessible to people. The accessible biosphere is, therefore, that part of the environment that the objective, criteria and requirements set out in this Safety Requirements publication are established to protect.