The hottest year on record just ended – 2015 – “a burst of heat that has continued into the new year and is roiling weather patterns all over the world,” said the New York Times. For the United States, 2015 was the second-warmest year, and December was the hottest and wettest since record-keeping began, said the Times. “One result has been a wave of unusual winter floods coursing down the Mississippi River watershed.” The El Niño weather pattern released immense amounts of energy but scientists said most of the record-breaking heat was caused by emissions of greenhouse gases.