If there was a nuclear war, how long would it take for the Earth to become liveable again?

Question

I am making a game in which there was nuclear war in 2014, and the population was forced to live underground until the surface became livable again. So, if all of the world's nuclear powers used their entire stocks, about when would the surface become livable again?

Thank you.

Answer 1

If all the atomic, nuclear, and thermonuclear weapons existing in the world to day were detonated in a war (about 22,000 warheads), the effect would obviously be catastrophic.

Here is a scenario of how an all out nuclear war might play out. -- http://www.johnstonsarchive.net/nuclear/nuclearwar1.html

Answer 2

Here's a good link:
http://www.atomicarchive.com/Docs/Effects/wenw_chp2.shtml

To quote:
"Most of the bomb-produced radionuclides decay rapidly. Even so, beyond the blast radius of the exploding weapons there would be areas ("hot spots") the survivors could not enter because of radioactive contamination from long-lived radioactive isotopes like strontium-90 or cesium-137, which can be concentrated through the food chain and incorporated into the body. The damage caused would be internal, with the injurious effects appearing over many years. For the survivors of a nuclear war, this lingering radiation hazard could represent a grave threat for as long as 1 to 5 years after the attack."

However, keep in mind that this refers only to the direct danger to humans on the surface. A big part of the question (and the link may answer this) is food. Even if it is safe to walk in a certain area after only 5 years, it probably would not be safe to eat crops grown on that land (as they may incorporate radioactive isotopes from the soil).

But that link should get you started.

Good luck with your game!

Answer 3

It would not become unliveable, except in some areas. But a full-scale nuclear war is now out of the question; precision weapons have made the wholesale destruction of property unnecessary.

Answer 4

lol, live under the ground, hahahahahahaha!!