Vladmir Alexandrov successfully debunked “nuclear winter” just before his disappearance. He analyzed the huge Siberian forest fire and found no global impact. The burning of the wells in Kuwait was likewise examined and found to contribute little to the global environment. Both events put gigatons of stuff into the atmosphere, like a big nuclear war would.
But as an antinuke platform for Sagan et al it just could not be beat.
Fallout is a problem if there are lots of ground bursts, and yes, you’d be under shelter for months if you are downwind of a plume. Got rad detection gear? I suggest an old CD ion chamber for high levels and a classic Geiger-Mueller rig for low level stuff.
Back then there were literally tens of thousands of warheads waiting to go. There are far fewer now, though the number is not insignificant.
I’d almost agree, but when you have an entire city burning for at least a week or more (remember, firefighting is pretty much out of the question!)—and there are potentially hundreds of these fires going on after a relatively small nuclear exchange....