World Resources Institute: According to new data, 2012 was a chart-topping year for the United States but not in a good way. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administrations (NOAAs) National Climate Data Center (NCDC) recently declared 2012 to be the hottest year on record for the contiguous United States. This year shattered the previous record temperature, set in 1998, by 1.0°F. The year was also marked by 11 extreme weather events that caused more than $1 billion of damages. In a year that brought the United States...