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• The paper constructed a RECC calculation method based on the EWM-CPM. • The spatiotemporal characteristics of RECC in resource-based cities. • The relationship between RECC and NEES is deconstructed by the path analysis method. The development of resource-based cities faces with stagnation due to the exhaustion of resources. Scientific and rational characterization of the temporal and spatial characteristics of resource environmental carrying capacity (RECC) is conducive to the sustainable development of these cities. In the present study, 8 resource-based cities in Sichuan Province were used as the research objects. A RECC research framework was constructed based on natural resources, environmental resources, economic resources and social resources dimensions (NEES), and a RECC assessment system was then extracted. This paper constructed a RECC calculation method based on the EWM-CPM (EWM: entropy weight method, CPM: catastrophe progression method). Mean and standard deviation were used for statistical analysis of RECC. The temporal trends of the NEES and RECC of resource-based cities in Sichuan Province were analyzed from the perspective of time, and the dynamic characteristics were analyzed combined with the dynamic evaluation measure model. The spatial pattern of RECC in the resource-based cities in Sichuan Province was analyzed from a spatial perspective. The relationship between NEES and RECC was evaluated through a path analysis method. The research results were as follows: (1) In terms of time, the average value of RECC in the resource-based cities in Sichuan Province was 0.628, and the standard deviation was 0.200, indicating that the stability of RECC in the entire region was poor. Natural resources are the main subsystem of RECC impacts in NEES. From the calculation results of the dynamic evaluation measure model, the level of RECC in PZH (Panzhihua) was stable, and the level of RECC in GA (Guang'an) increased with time, whereas the level of RECC in NC (Nanchong) was poor. (2) In terms of space, the eight resource-based cities showed uneven development in regard to RECC from 2010 to 2019, and the urban advantageous industries were related to the types of resources in the NEES. (3) The path analysis method results indicated that the directional impact of natural resources on RECC was the highest (0.658), followed by the effect of social resources, environmental resources and economic resources. The findings of the present study provide a basis for the establishment of methods for the sustainable development of urban areas, effective information extraction and the integrated assessment of factors that affect the development of resource-based cities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]