Dubai | A draft communique from the COP28 climate summit in Dubai has scrapped any pledge to phase out fossil fuels, sparking a bitter stoush as countries, including Australia, look to get the key commitment back on the agenda.

The draft text for a COP28 deal, released by the conference’s United Arab Emirates host Sultan al-Jaber on Tuesday (AEDT), fell short of many ministers’ and green groups’ hopes and demands. Negotiators spent the night in Dubai working on a new version.