Node.js provides an easy way to work with environment variables, which can be accessed through the `process.env` object within the process global object. Environment variables can be set using various methods such as setting them directly in the terminal or by loading values from a `.env` file using the `dotenv` module. The `.env` file allows for project-specific configuration and should not be checked into source control. Node.js also provides tools like `node-env-run` to load environment variables more conveniently, especially when used with npm scripts. Additionally, Node.js has built-in debugging features such as the `debug` module, which can be used to receive more verbose logs for various modules by setting the `DEBUG` variable accordingly.