diff --git a/CHANGELOG.md b/CHANGELOG.md
index 83a2aeb2c0..f332efc4df 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -5,7 +5,12 @@
 - On Windows, Task can now be installed using [Scoop](https://scoop.sh/)
   ([#152](https://github.com/go-task/task/pull/152));
 - Fixes issue with file/directory globing
-  ([#153](https://github.com/go-task/task/issues/153)).
+  ([#153](https://github.com/go-task/task/issues/153));
+- Add ability to globally set environment variables
+  (
+    [#138](https://github.com/go-task/task/pull/138),
+    [#159](https://github.com/go-task/task/pull/159)
+  ).
 
 ## v2.2.1 - 2018-12-09
 
diff --git a/docs/installation.md b/docs/installation.md
index d7c65cd1ed..94adf560ac 100644
--- a/docs/installation.md
+++ b/docs/installation.md
@@ -72,7 +72,7 @@ Both methods requires having the [Go][go] environment properly setup locally.
 ## Install script
 
 We also have a [install script][installscript], which is very useful on
-scanarios like CIs. Many thanks to [godownloader][godownloader] for allowing
+scenarios like CIs. Many thanks to [godownloader][godownloader] for allowing
 easily generating this script.
 
 ```bash
diff --git a/docs/usage.md b/docs/usage.md
index 7f37e53443..88ea1e807b 100644
--- a/docs/usage.md
+++ b/docs/usage.md
@@ -31,23 +31,41 @@ interpreter. So you can write sh/bash commands and it will work even on
 Windows, where `sh` or `bash` are usually not available. Just remember any
 executable called must be available by the OS or in PATH.
 
-If you ommit a task name, "default" will be assumed.
+If you omit a task name, "default" will be assumed.
 
 ## Environment
 
-You can specify environment variables that are added when running a command:
+You can use `env` to set custom environment variables for a specific task:
 
 ```yaml
 version: '2'
 
 tasks:
-  build:
+  greet:
     cmds:
-      - echo $hallo
+      - echo $GREETING
     env:
-      hallo: welt
+      GREETING: Hey, there!
 ```
 
+Additionally, you can set globally environment variables, that'll be available
+to all tasks:
+
+```yaml
+version: '2'
+
+env:
+  GREETING: Hey, there!
+
+tasks:
+  greet:
+    cmds:
+      - echo $GREETING
+```
+
+> NOTE: `env` supports expansion and and retrieving output from a shell command
+> just like variables, as you can see on the [Variables](#variables) section.
+
 ## Operating System specific tasks
 
 If you add a `Taskfile_{{GOOS}}.yml` you can override or amend your Taskfile
@@ -455,7 +473,7 @@ Task also adds the following functions:
 - `catLines`: Replaces Unix (\n) and Windows (\r\n) styled newlines with a space.
 - `toSlash`: Does nothing on Unix, but on Windows converts a string from `\`
   path format to `/`.
-- `fromSlash`: Oposite of `toSlash`. Does nothing on Unix, but on Windows
+- `fromSlash`: Opposite of `toSlash`. Does nothing on Unix, but on Windows
   converts a string from `\` path format to `/`.
 - `exeExt`: Returns the right executable extension for the current OS
   (`".exe"` for Windows, `""` for others).
@@ -488,7 +506,7 @@ tasks:
 ## Help
 
 Running `task --list` (or `task -l`) lists all tasks with a description.
-The following taskfile:
+The following Taskfile:
 
 ```yaml
 version: '2'
@@ -575,7 +593,7 @@ tasks:
 
 * Or globally with `--silent` or `-s` flag
 
-If you want to suppress stdout instead, just redirect a command to `/dev/null`:
+If you want to suppress STDOUT instead, just redirect a command to `/dev/null`:
 
 ```yaml
 version: '2'
diff --git a/internal/taskfile/merge.go b/internal/taskfile/merge.go
index b2b32ef948..e862fe7aa7 100644
--- a/internal/taskfile/merge.go
+++ b/internal/taskfile/merge.go
@@ -35,6 +35,13 @@ func Merge(t1, t2 *Taskfile, namespaces ...string) error {
 		t1.Vars[k] = v
 	}
 
+	if t1.Env == nil {
+		t1.Env = make(Vars)
+	}
+	for k, v := range t2.Vars {
+		t1.Env[k] = v
+	}
+
 	if t1.Tasks == nil {
 		t1.Tasks = make(Tasks)
 	}
diff --git a/internal/taskfile/taskfile.go b/internal/taskfile/taskfile.go
index 58311aabc8..b3869fbd0e 100644
--- a/internal/taskfile/taskfile.go
+++ b/internal/taskfile/taskfile.go
@@ -7,6 +7,7 @@ type Taskfile struct {
 	Output     string
 	Includes   map[string]string
 	Vars       Vars
+	Env        Vars
 	Tasks      Tasks
 }
 
@@ -23,6 +24,7 @@ func (tf *Taskfile) UnmarshalYAML(unmarshal func(interface{}) error) error {
 		Output     string
 		Includes   map[string]string
 		Vars       Vars
+		Env        Vars
 		Tasks      Tasks
 	}
 	if err := unmarshal(&taskfile); err != nil {
@@ -33,6 +35,7 @@ func (tf *Taskfile) UnmarshalYAML(unmarshal func(interface{}) error) error {
 	tf.Output = taskfile.Output
 	tf.Includes = taskfile.Includes
 	tf.Vars = taskfile.Vars
+	tf.Env = taskfile.Env
 	tf.Tasks = taskfile.Tasks
 	if tf.Expansions <= 0 {
 		tf.Expansions = 2
diff --git a/task.go b/task.go
index d9d90a902a..9de7d88c01 100644
--- a/task.go
+++ b/task.go
@@ -268,9 +268,9 @@ func getEnviron(t *taskfile.Task) []string {
 		return nil
 	}
 
-	envs := os.Environ()
+	environ := os.Environ()
 	for k, v := range t.Env.ToStringMap() {
-		envs = append(envs, fmt.Sprintf("%s=%s", k, v))
+		environ = append(environ, fmt.Sprintf("%s=%s", k, v))
 	}
-	return envs
+	return environ
 }
diff --git a/task_test.go b/task_test.go
index e4dbd766f6..02f7b0ff86 100644
--- a/task_test.go
+++ b/task_test.go
@@ -61,7 +61,8 @@ func TestEnv(t *testing.T) {
 		Target:    "default",
 		TrimSpace: false,
 		Files: map[string]string{
-			"env.txt": "GOOS='linux' GOARCH='amd64' CGO_ENABLED='0'\n",
+			"local.txt":  "GOOS='linux' GOARCH='amd64' CGO_ENABLED='0'\n",
+			"global.txt": "FOO='foo' BAR='overriden' BAZ='baz'\n",
 		},
 	}
 	tt.Run(t)
diff --git a/testdata/env/.gitignore b/testdata/env/.gitignore
index 7a7d633f14..2211df63dd 100644
--- a/testdata/env/.gitignore
+++ b/testdata/env/.gitignore
@@ -1 +1 @@
-env.txt
+*.txt
diff --git a/testdata/env/Taskfile.yml b/testdata/env/Taskfile.yml
index 9aab4252d6..d5a7419db2 100644
--- a/testdata/env/Taskfile.yml
+++ b/testdata/env/Taskfile.yml
@@ -1,10 +1,33 @@
-default:
-  vars:
-    AMD64: amd64
-  env:
-    GOOS: linux
-    GOARCH: "{{.AMD64}}"
-    CGO_ENABLED:
-      sh: echo '0'
-  cmds:
-    - echo "GOOS='$GOOS' GOARCH='$GOARCH' CGO_ENABLED='$CGO_ENABLED'" > env.txt
+version: '2'
+
+vars:
+  BAZ:
+    sh: echo baz
+
+env:
+  FOO: foo
+  BAR: bar
+  BAZ: "{{.BAZ}}"
+
+tasks:
+  default:
+    cmds:
+      - task: local
+      - task: global
+
+  local:
+    vars:
+      AMD64: amd64
+    env:
+      GOOS: linux
+      GOARCH: "{{.AMD64}}"
+      CGO_ENABLED:
+        sh: echo '0'
+    cmds:
+      - echo "GOOS='$GOOS' GOARCH='$GOARCH' CGO_ENABLED='$CGO_ENABLED'" > local.txt
+
+  global:
+    env:
+      BAR: overriden
+    cmds:
+      - echo "FOO='$FOO' BAR='$BAR' BAZ='$BAZ'" > global.txt
diff --git a/variables.go b/variables.go
index bdbf52e51c..8e3600732b 100644
--- a/variables.go
+++ b/variables.go
@@ -30,7 +30,7 @@ func (e *Executor) CompiledTask(call taskfile.Call) (*taskfile.Task, error) {
 		Status:      r.ReplaceSlice(origTask.Status),
 		Dir:         r.Replace(origTask.Dir),
 		Vars:        nil,
-		Env:         r.ReplaceVars(origTask.Env),
+		Env:         nil,
 		Silent:      origTask.Silent,
 		Method:      r.Replace(origTask.Method),
 		Prefix:      r.Replace(origTask.Prefix),
@@ -46,6 +46,14 @@ func (e *Executor) CompiledTask(call taskfile.Call) (*taskfile.Task, error) {
 	if new.Prefix == "" {
 		new.Prefix = new.Task
 	}
+
+	new.Env = make(taskfile.Vars, len(e.Taskfile.Env)+len(origTask.Env))
+	for k, v := range r.ReplaceVars(e.Taskfile.Env) {
+		new.Env[k] = v
+	}
+	for k, v := range r.ReplaceVars(origTask.Env) {
+		new.Env[k] = v
+	}
 	for k, v := range new.Env {
 		static, err := e.Compiler.HandleDynamicVar(v)
 		if err != nil {