Reform won 53 seats and became the majority party on the council in last month’s local election, ending the Tories’ 25-year rules.
On Thursday, council leader Peter Harris said all “net stupid zero” policies would be scrapped.
Net zero refers to a state in which greenhouse gases going into the atmosphere are balanced out by those removed. The Climate Change Committee, which advises the UK and devolved governments, says achieving net zero is more cost-effective for the economy than continued reliance on fossil fuels.
It is not clear what climate initiatives will end in Essex, and a council spokesperson later said “a review process” was under way following the new administration’s “direction”.