Every American has a fundamental right to breathe clean air and drink clean water. Those rights are in peril. The United States needs bold leadership working together to combat the significant threat of climate change before it is too late. Joe Biden is the leader to take us there.

Just last month, many Granite Staters came together to celebrate the 115th anniversary of the Treaty of Portsmouth, which ended the Russo-Japanese war. We celebrated at one of the historical stalwarts and economic engines of our Seacoast community- the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard (PNSY).

Our shipyard employs 8,000 civilians and hosts 1,000 naval personnel – yours and my neighbors. The submarine modernization, repair, and maintenance at PNSY generates $882 million dollars annually. The United States submarine fleet is critical to our nation’s efforts toward strategic deterrence and defense, and PNSY is one of only four remaining naval shipyards in America.

Furthermore, the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard is a historic landmark within the U.S. Navy. When former Navy Secretary Ray Mabus came here to support my Congressional campaign efforts in 2018, the Shipyard was the first place we visited.

But our shipyard that we count on for jobs and revere as a historic point of pride is in real danger due to climate change.

In 2016, the Union of Concerned Scientists released a report stating sea levels in the Portsmouth area are expected to rise between 3.5 to 5.9 feet over the next century. According to UCS Projections, by 2100, more than 25 percent of the shipyard’s dry land will fall below the high tide line and 90 percent of the base will be exposed to storm surge flooding in excess of 5 feet. Even today, a Category 1 storm exposes nearly 40 percent of the base to storm surge and flooding. In the not so distant future, the shipyard could be underwater.

The shipyard would be but one more casualty of climate change, and it is not the only Granite State economic driver in danger.

Small businesses, family restaurants, and water adventure outlets line the 18 miles of our precious New Hampshire coastline. The economic devastation of flooding to Hampton, Rye, and our entire Seacoast community would be significant.

Just as they are now with our breathtaking fall foliage, visitors come from across the world to experience the natural beauty of the Granite State — tourism is our second-largest industry, bringing in more than $5 billion per year, and employing close to 70,000 people. The economic impact of losing our tourism industry would significantly hinder our state and many of our working families.

How do we prevent climate change from destroying our natural surroundings and livelihoods?

For one, we must elect a president who believes that climate change is real and has a clear plan to stem the rising tides, create jobs in clean energy, and protect our natural resources.

Despite rising sea levels, raging wildfires, and the decrease of fish off our shores, President Trump has repeatedly referred to climate change as a hoax. His administration pulled out of the Paris Climate Agreement, the first global, multilateral climate change treaty that created a set of cross-border climate regulations designed to help each of us and all of us.

Vice President Biden also recognizes that combating climate change is not an added burden — it is a significant economic opportunity. Included in his plans is a $1.7 trillion investment toward creating a clean energy economy. The plan offers subsidies and incentive capital to aspiring entrepreneurs to build and grow clean energy companies, which will create jobs and economic opportunity for entire regions of our country.

Clean energy jobs could revive the Granite State’s forgotten towns. Berlin, N.H. could once again be an economic engine and a flourishing tourist destination, the abandoned paper mill a hub for clean tech, the old opera house frequented once more by new Pavarottis.

Voting for Joe Biden is a vote for a cleaner, safer, and more prosperous New Hampshire. It is a vote to keep our streams clear, our forests green, and our treasured Shipyard above water. It is a vote for thousands of new jobs to be brought to New Hampshire to boost our economy. It is a vote for the future of the Granite State.

Maura C. Sullivan of Portsmouth is a former Assistant Secretary of Veterans Affairs.