There's a couple of other things you can use, also.
There's three choices; the globe warms, cools, or stays the same. The last isn't going to happen, so you're basically down to two choices. Either one is going to throw people into a tail spin.
Plus, if you look at the earth's geologic history, the planet has usually been significatly warmer for long periods of time that it is now. We are technically in a cooler than average period. Propose to these people that the Earth is simply returning to it's naturally historically warmer state. Then you could ask them what caused the earth to be warmer then?
I don't think that people are in real denial that there is some warming occurring at the present, but the cause and just what there is that can be done about it are what's causing the controversy. There is also the impendng ice age hysteria that was rampant in the 70's based on the same short term temperature trends. Many younger people wouldn't be aware of that.
My experience is that the meteorologists at the NWS find the global warming issue to be a real blood pressure raiser. The ones I've talked to don't believe it and get pretty riled when it's mentioned.
Plus, if you look at the earth's geologic history, the planet has usually been significatly warmer for long periods of time that it is now.And also, for much of earth's geological history, the continents were in different positions, the oceans were shaped differently, and the ocean current system was completely different. The Himalayan mountains didn't exist until the Indian subcontinent slammed into Asia.
I.e., you have to have some context before making comparisons.
Here's what the Earth looked like in the late Cretaceous period; modern continental outlines are superimposed.
One might expect that the Earth's climate would be a little different back then.