Spatio-temporal characteristics and analysis of influencing factors of inclusive green growth in China’s oil and gas resource industry

•Constructing an index system for inclusive green growth in the oil and gas resource industry (IGGOG).•The IGGOG index fluctuates between 0.354 and 0.3642 during the period 2012–2021.•The IGGOG shows a spatial structure that spreads from peripheral high-value to central low-value, and exhibits non-stable spatial correlation.•Urbanization rate has a significantly positive impact on the IGGOG, while the green burden has a negative impact. As China’s economic strategy increasingly emphasizes inclusive green development, the focus on the oil and gas resource industry is still nascent. This study introduces a novel index system for inclusive green growth (IGG) specific to China’s oil and gas resource industry, encompassing dimensions such as industrial development, social equity in opportunities, poverty and income inequality reduction, and green ecology. This research marks the first application of the CRITIC combined weighting-TOPSIS model to assess inclusive green growth in the oil and gas resource industry (IGGOG) across 30 Chinese provinces from 2012 to 2021. The study delineates its spatial and temporal evolution, spatial correlation, and influential variables using kernel density estimation, exploratory spatial data analysis (ESDA), and geographically and temporally weighted regression (GTWR). Key observations include: (1) IGGOG exhibited a general upward trajectory, albeit with periodic fluctuations. (2) IGGOG’s spatial distribution adopts a “periphery-center” pattern, with pronounced spatial disparities. (3) Significant positive spatial autocorrelation in IGGOG is predominantly evident in high-high (HH) and low-low (LL) clusters. (4) Factors such as industrial agglomeration, industrial structures upgrading, urbanization rates, digital economy, and openness positively correlate with IGGOG, whereas green burdens adversely affect it. Moreover, the effects of these six factors demonstrate spatial heterogeneity. These findings provide valuable insights for advancing high-quality development within the oil and gas resource industry. Based on the connotation of IGG and the development prospects of the oil and gas resource industry, this study refreshes the research perspective and index system, expanding the scope of the study by incorporating geospatial factors, thereby facilitating a deeper understanding of the development trends and characteristics of IGGOG.