I'm exploring possible 'utopian' outcomes to this situation. We invariably think of the aftermath of nuclear holocaust as exclusively dystopian - could a 'better' world have emerged in the 60 years since the crisis? Is there a possible scenario where England would have come through 'fairly unscathed'?
It depends on the exact meaning intended for the word “habitable”. But I would suggest that the world (or at least many parts of the world) would have remained habitable and inhabited. This doesn’t mean to say that life would be pleasant or that billions would not die immediately and in the years following for famine, disease and radiation poisoning, but human life would not have been exterminated.
This would be especially true for out of the way places. For example New Zealand, even if the largest cities were attacked (debatable) a great deal of the country would remain very habitable. Yes no doubt there would have been increased levels of radiation, hardship and death, but the majority of the fall out would have been in the northern hemisphere due to the general nature of air circulation patterns and the fact that the primary protagonists were based in the northern hemisphere.
Response following the change in the question of habitation from the "World" to "England".
In any global nuclear exchange it seems likely that all allies would have been drawn into the conflict and would have become targets. However there are other less likely but possible scenarios where the nuclear exchange was more limited, less wide spread or less effective due to target priority sequencing, pre-emptive strikes on missile launch sites, subterfuge and misinformation, technical problems or the whims of those in charge under abnormal levels of stress.
Regardless of that billions would die as the world’s trade, food production and most other systems collapsed. But some life would continue even in England. After a few decades the nuclear winter should fade and the very few who survived in remote areas from stored food and scavenging might be able to start growing things again.
Large swathes that were bombed, and their downwind fallout zones, will return to habitability fairly quickly -- weeks, not years. That's why people live in Hiroshima and Nagasaki today. A few locations close to impact sites and downstream concentration points will take longer.
Nuclear weapons (expect for neutron bombs, of course) are designed primarily for the blast effect. The radiological contamination and fallout are a consequence (or a bonus, from some perspectives), not the goal. Most of the radiological products of nuclear weapons have short half-lives, quite unlike the long-half-life waste from power stations.
It will take years to return to background levels, but only 4-8 weeks before salvage crews in most areas won't suffer radiation sickness. Those locations very close to ground zero will take longer...but there shouldn't be much left to salvage in those blasted zones.
That's a rather wide window of "habitability" -- parents of growing children, for example, might define the term much more narrowly.
Mimi ni kuchunguza uwezekano 'utopian' matokeo ya hali hii. "Tunafikiria matokeo ya maangamizi ya nyuklia kama ""dystopia"" - je, ulimwengu ""bora"" ungeweza kutokea katika miaka 60 tangu mgogoro huo?" Je, kuna uwezekano kwamba Uingereza ingeweza kutoroka 'bila kujeruhiwa'? Inategemea maana halisi inayokusudiwa kwa neno <unk>habitable<unk>. Lakini ningependekeza kwamba ulimwengu (au angalau sehemu nyingi za ulimwengu) zingebaki kuwa na watu na kukaliwa. Hii haimaanishi kwamba maisha yangekuwa mazuri au kwamba mabilioni hayangekufa mara moja na katika miaka iliyofuata kwa njaa, ugonjwa na sumu ya mnururisho, lakini maisha ya kibinadamu hayingekuwa yameharibiwa. Hilo lingekuwa kweli hasa kwa ajili ya maeneo yaliyo mbali na njia. Kwa mfano, New Zealand, hata kama miji mikubwa ingeishambuliwa (inaweza kujadiliwa) sehemu kubwa ya nchi ingebaki kuwa yenye kukaribishwa sana. "Hakuna shaka kwamba kulikuwa na ongezeko la viwango vya mnururisho, shida na vifo, lakini idadi kubwa ya maporomoko ya hewa ingekuwa katika kizio cha kaskazini kwa sababu ya asili ya jumla ya mifumo ya mzunguko wa hewa na ukweli kwamba wahusika wakuu walikuwa katika kizio cha kaskazini. """ Jibu kufuatia mabadiliko katika swali la makazi kutoka "Dunia" kwa "England". Katika mapigano yoyote ya nyuklia ya kimataifa inaonekana inawezekana kwamba washirika wote wangevutwa katika mgogoro na wangekuwa malengo. Hata hivyo, kuna matukio mengine yasiyo ya kawaida lakini yanayowezekana ambapo kubadilishana kwa nyuklia kulikuwa na kiwango kidogo, kuenea kidogo au ufanisi mdogo kwa sababu ya utaratibu wa kipaumbele cha lengo, mashambulizi ya mapema kwenye maeneo ya uzinduzi wa makombora, udanganyifu na habari zisizo za kweli, matatizo ya kiufundi au tamaa za wale waliohusika chini ya viwango vya kawaida vya mkazo. Bila kujali kwamba mabilioni yangekufa kama biashara ya ulimwengu, uzalishaji wa chakula na mifumo mingine mingi ilivunjika. Lakini maisha fulani yangeendelea hata huko Uingereza. Baada ya miongo michache, baridi kali ya nyuklia inapaswa kufifia na wale wachache sana ambao wameokoka katika maeneo ya mbali kutoka kwa chakula kilichowekwa na kuokota taka wanaweza kuanza kukuza vitu tena. Sehemu kubwa zilizobomolewa, na maeneo yao ya mvua ya chini ya upepo, zitarejeshwa kuwa mahali pa kuishi haraka sana - majuma, si miaka. Hiyo ndiyo sababu watu wanaishi Hiroshima na Nagasaki leo. Maeneo machache yaliyo karibu na maeneo ya kugonga na maeneo ya mkusanyiko ya chini ya mto yatachukua muda mrefu zaidi. Silaha za nyuklia (tazama kwa mabomu ya neutroni, bila shaka) zimebuniwa hasa kwa ajili ya athari ya mlipuko. Uchafuzi wa mnururisho na mvua ni matokeo (au ziada, kutoka kwa mtazamo fulani), si lengo. Vifaa vingi vya nyuklia vina nusu ya maisha ya muda mfupi, tofauti na taka za muda mrefu kutoka kwa mitambo ya umeme. "Itachukua miaka kurudi kwa viwango vya nyuma, lakini ni wiki 4-8 tu kabla ya wafanyakazi wa uokoaji katika maeneo mengi hawatapata ugonjwa wa mionzi. """ Maeneo hayo karibu sana na ground zero yatachukua muda mrefu zaidi...lakini haipaswi kuwa na mengi kushoto kuokoa katika maeneo hayo blasted. Hiyo ni dirisha pana sana la "kuishi" - wazazi wa watoto wanaokua, kwa mfano, wanaweza kufafanua neno hilo kwa njia nyembamba zaidi.