I'm so dopey. I thought this was suggesting that we'd invented some clever formulation to stop dead bugs sticking to windshields in 2020 and that we'd all have fully autonomous cars by 2050.
It is about how the death of the insects is a precursor to the death of the rest of us. In the 90’s, there were a lot more bugs in the world, and it was very noticeable on road trips. They’re all gone now.
I was outside, next to a park on a lake, and I mentioned to someone the lack of ambient bugs. He was insistent that there were bugs around somewhere but it took me several minutes to locate ONE and it was the only one I could find.
No dragonflies, ladybugs, bees, wasps, butterflies, beetles, grasshoppers... I couldn't even see any ants, flies, or mosquitos. The one I found looked similar to a gnat. It's spring here. There should be bugs.