I think it was still too late to avoid the worst of it, but with him as President in 2000 some things would have changed by now for the better, and some things would have been prevented. Or maybe not, alternative history is hard to predict, and maybe GWB was the better choice for the US and the world after all.
Yeah, I find it hard to believe too.
Can't create a dead zone from dumping chemicals into the water when the water is already a dead zone.
This is a speedrun to save humanity while killing everything else. Problem is, humans still live in and need the environment.