Scary, scary news to report. We can now confirm that 2010 was “probably the hottest year ever recorded.” And we can take that to the bank. As Barack Obama has told us, when it comes to climate change, “the science is beyond dispute.”

For example, we know that 2009 was the second warmest year on record. Well, either that or the fifth, but let’s not split hairs, shall we. Just like we knew that 2008 was tied as the eighth warmest year on record. Or was it the tenth? The important thing is that we know for certain that 2007 was tied as the second warmest year — you know, kind of like good old 2009. Except 2009 ended up being the fifth warmest, whereas 2007 became the sixth. Now, 2006, that was really the second warmest year ever. Until, of course, it became the fifth.

Now, back to that warmest-year-ever spot. Up until this year, the winner was 2005. Which exemplified regal humility and declined the title only to move into second place — where it had a lot of company. As you can see, this is very precise, undeniable, serious stuff. And the trend is glaringly obvious — we’re steadily degrading science.