Oil's well that ends well?: You’re going to be hearing a ton about the International Energy Agency report on America’s return to the throne as the world’s leading oil producer (projected to occur in 2017). What you won’t be hearing nearly as much about are the projections for the “transformative shift in energy efficiency” and the predictions for coal, which is expected to start taking up a thinner slice of our energy mix pie. Charleston Gazette

Soggy logic: Why in the world are we drawn to homes on lakes, rivers, and the ocean when that waterfront property can be so very dangerous? Why don’t we learn from Sandy or Katrina or the Mississippi River floods or say, the dozens of other water-laden “natural” disasters of late? Talk of the Nation asks -- and attempts to answer over a 30-minute broadcast -- “What is this primal human pull to the water's edge?” And how is this innate tendency all the more risky in this age of sea level rise and extreme weather? NPR

Fiscal fossil: Two big threats to dirty energy have surprisingly surfaced in the “fiscal cliff” debates: a carbon tax and an end to oil industry tax breaks. Apparently, both policies are still on the table, with the former even getting a shocking (yet very temporary) nod from the great anti-tax crusader himself, Grover Norquist. The Hill, National Journal

Winged determination: In case you had any doubts about how amazing birds are (and seriously, why would you? They can fly!), Sandy has provided more evidence of avian awesomeness. Our feathered friends seemed to have survived the storm just fine, proving themselves to be “supreme masters of extreme weather management.”  Birds not only adjust their flight tactics to deal with heavy winds, but also appear to use gales as a “kind of slingshot to propel themselves forward at hyperspeed.” New York Times

And the 2013 Motor Trend Car of the Year is...: The all-electric Tesla Model S! The American-made luxury sedan took the “Golden Calipers” with an unprecedented unanimous vote, marking the first time a vehicle without a combustion engine has won the award. Autoblog

Bank on it: When those radical hippie bankers at the International Monetary Fund start seriously studying peak oil, it’s probably a good time to start taking peak oil seriously. Christian Science Monitor

Coal jam: The reported 75-mile traffic jam caused by coal trucks in China is the craziest part in this article about Asia’s surging coal demand, and it begs the question: Just how gross is the air on a road with tens of thousands of idling diesel engines and coal dust? New York Times

Tips: @OnEarthMag (tag it #greenreads)
Image: Dave Hogg