<p>Controlling embodied carbon emissions is not only an inherent requirement for ecological protection and high-quality development in the Yellow River Basin, but also a key lever for promoting systematic nationwide carbon emission reduction. Based on the multi-regional input-output model, this study explores the changing characteristics of embodied carbon and value-added flows among the upper, middle, and lower reaches of the Yellow River Basin, and analyzes the effects of heterogeneous driving factors by combining the SDA-LMDI decomposition method. The results show that during the study period, the scale of net embodied carbon flows exhibited a phased change from slow growth to sharp growth, generally presenting a spatial flow pattern of resource-based upstream regions and consumption-based midstream regions. The embodied carbon transfer paths of all provinces and regions show significant industry concentration, mainly focusing on the production and distribution of electric power and heat power, and also accounting for a large proportion in industries such as smelting and processing of metals and manufacturing. of non -metallic mineral products. The net flow of value added kept an upward trend in the early stage and dropped sharply in the later stage, reflecting that the gaps among regions were narrowing continuously. In terms of industries, it was mainly concentrated in the primary industry, such as the production and services of agriculture, forestry, and animal husbandry. The growth of embodied carbon emissions and value-added transfers showed phased changes. However, the inhibitory factors of embodied carbon flows and value-added transfers were mainly restricted by the direct consumption coefficient.</p>