With the continuous advancement of global scientific and technological capabilities, the issue of global warming caused by greenhouse gas emissions has received widespread attention from countries worldwide. Promoting carbon reduction and curbing the trend of global warming have become urgent and significant challenges for China and the world. Therefore, it is of great practical significance to explore the impact and mechanism of the digital economy on carbon reduction. This paper empirically analyzes the impact and means of the digital economy on carbon emissions using panel regression models and mediation effect models. The research indicates that the digital economy significantly impacts carbon emissions, and the following main conclusions are drawn: (1) The influence of the digital economy on carbon intensity exhibits an inverted U-shaped curve, starting with promotion and then inhibition. (2) The digital economy can affect carbon emissions through industrial structural upgrading and technological innovation. (3) Regions with a relatively high level of digital economy development also tend to have higher energy utilization efficiency, leading to a more pronounced impact of the digital economy on carbon emissions levels.

This study identifies the health effect of rising housing prices on individual physical health using the Chinese General Social Survey (CGSS) data. Exploiting exogenous housing prices, I find that rising housing prices adversely affect physical health status. Heterogeneity analyses yield interesting findings. First, the adverse effects of high housing prices are pronounced in the group owning only one house. Second, significant effects of housing prices on health for the group aged 20 to 45 are observed, with no effects for the elderly group above 45. Third, males are more sensitive to high housing prices due to the intensified competition and traditional gender norm in marriage markets. I also further investigate the channel through which housing prices affect individual physical health. The findings indicate that rising housing prices can damage individual physical health via lowering social status, reducing physical exercise time and increasing mental health risk.