diff --git a/base/logging.jl b/base/logging.jl
index 6bcb82cdf6156b..87c325ef6eb946 100644
--- a/base/logging.jl
+++ b/base/logging.jl
@@ -298,12 +298,11 @@ function logmsg_code(_module, file, line, level, message, exs...)
         level = $level
         std_level = convert(LogLevel, level)
         if std_level >= _min_enabled_level[]
-            logstate = current_logstate()
-            if std_level >= logstate.min_enabled_level
-                logger = logstate.logger
-                _module = $_module
+            group = $group
+            _module = $_module
+            logger = current_logger_for_env(std_level, group, _module)
+            if !(logger === nothing)
                 id = $id
-                group = $group
                 # Second chance at an early bail-out, based on arbitrary
                 # logger-specific logic.
                 if shouldlog(logger, level, _module, group, id)
@@ -313,9 +312,6 @@ function logmsg_code(_module, file, line, level, message, exs...)
                         msg = $(esc(message))
                         handle_message(logger, level, msg, _module, group, id, file, line; $(kwargs...))
                     catch err
-                        if !catch_exceptions(logger)
-                            rethrow(err)
-                        end
                         logging_error(logger, level, _module, group, id, file, line, err)
                     end
                 end
@@ -327,7 +323,10 @@ end
 
 # Report an error in log message creation (or in the logger itself).
 @noinline function logging_error(logger, level, _module, group, id,
-                                 filepath, line, err)
+                                 filepath, line, @nospecialize(err))
+    if !catch_exceptions(logger)
+        rethrow(err)
+    end
     try
         msg = "Exception while generating log record in module $_module at $filepath:$line"
         handle_message(logger, Error, msg, _module, :logevent_error, id, filepath, line; exception=(err,catch_backtrace()))
@@ -371,7 +370,16 @@ _global_logstate = LogState(NullLogger())
 
 function current_logstate()
     logstate = current_task().logstate
-    (logstate != nothing ? logstate : _global_logstate)::LogState
+    return (logstate !== nothing ? logstate : _global_logstate)::LogState
+end
+
+# helper function to get the current logger, if enabled for the specified message type
+@noinline function current_logger_for_env(std_level::LogLevel, group, _module::Module)
+    logstate = current_logstate()
+    if std_level >= logstate.min_enabled_level || env_override_minlevel(group, _module)
+        return logstate.logger
+    end
+    return nothing
 end
 
 function with_logstate(f::Function, logstate)
@@ -400,6 +408,42 @@ function disable_logging(level::LogLevel)
     _min_enabled_level[] = level + 1
 end
 
+let _debug_groups = Symbol[],
+    _debug_str::String = ""
+global function env_override_minlevel(group, _module::Module)
+    debug = get(ENV, "JULIA_DEBUG", "")
+    if !(debug === _debug_str)
+        _debug_str = debug
+        empty!(_debug_groups)
+        for g in split(debug, ',')
+            isempty(g) && continue
+            if g == "all"
+                empty!(_debug_groups)
+                push!(_debug_groups, :all)
+                break
+            end
+            push!(_debug_groups, Symbol(g))
+        end
+    end
+    if isempty(_debug_groups)
+        return false
+    end
+    if _debug_groups[1] == :all
+        return true
+    end
+    if isa(group, Symbol) && group in _debug_groups
+        return true
+    end
+    if nameof(_module) in _debug_groups
+        return true
+    end
+    if nameof(Base.moduleroot(_module)) in _debug_groups
+        return true
+    end
+    return false
+end
+end
+
 
 """
     global_logger()
@@ -485,7 +529,7 @@ function handle_message(logger::SimpleLogger, level, message, _module, group, id
     for i in 2:length(msglines)
         println(iob, "│ ", msglines[i])
     end
-    for (key,val) in pairs(kwargs)
+    for (key, val) in kwargs
         println(iob, "│   ", key, " = ", val)
     end
     println(iob, "└ @ ", _module, " ", filepath, ":", line)